Subject: Things to do.
8 chemo cycles. 6 more to go. And another 1 1/2 weeks of radiation. Hopefully I’ll finish by the end of May. sigh. It seems so close, and yet so far.
My plans for the summer have become much more concrete though. I won’t be able to travel around the world, but I think I’ll be able to travel domestically. (Hawaii? Back to the East coast? Chicago?) I don’t mind actually; I just want to chill with my friends and relax. I’ve been too serious lately, I really need to just forget and live.
But I’ve already started compiling my next year’s closet. I have a bunch of basic tees, long sleeve shirts, and tank tops…now I need to find more individual pieces. I also need to buy leggings, more jeans, OTK socks, boots, and coats. Which should be no problem, considering the fact that I’m a shopaholic. Besides, I’ve promised a bunch of my friends that I’d go shopping with them…
I can’t wait to go back to LA. I’ve been dying for English tea at the Huntington Gardens. It’s been a while since I’ve been there too - I haven’t seen the Chinese gardens yet. But I also want to go to this middle Eastern restaurant Jade has been talking about, where you can dance with the belly dancers…LOL. A trip to the Hollywood Bowl would also be nice.
And I need to start practicing my viola. It shouldn’t be a problem now, considering that I can lift my left hand above my head without pain. I’m just a little worried about how I’ll sound. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything - it’s been a little over a month since I’ve played. I seriously have a lot of catching up to do. I want to play with a quartet again, but I wonder if I can persuade any of my friends to do it in the summer. We never finished Shostakovitch. Actually, I wonder if my friends will have time in the summer…everyone seems to be so busy with internships, jobs, and community service projects. Maybe I’ll go volunteer and do something…
Oh. I forgot to mention that the Williams’ Record asked me to write an op-ed. I’m pretty excited about this because I’ve never written an article before (for a newspaper). I wonder how people will react to it…
Anyways, I’m looking forward to expanding my culinary skills once I get back home. (Sorry for jumping around topics…I can’t concentrate with the IV whirring next to me). Mastering the Art of French Cooking is still sitting all by its solitary self and I haven’t touched my cooking magazines for ages. Also, I want to try this passion fruit mousse cake recipe. Or maybe I should make scones instead. I need to find Stanford’s Lagunita Hall’s blueberry scone recipe - they were the best I ever had. Maybe I should host a tea party…considering how most of the stuff I want to bake/cook are perfect for this type of occasion. Or maybe I should have a dinner party. That would be a considerably more difficult thing to do, but I think I’ll have more than enough time in the summer. Bread, salad, soup, pasta, a meat entree, and dessert(s). OH. And drinks…
What else…
Hmm. I need to get back into shape again. I think I’ve lost most of the flexibility I had the last 3 years since I haven’t been stretching or exercising for most of the time I’ve been stuck here in norcal. Maybe I’ll take up ballroom dancing again. Something like the tango or the Venetian waltz. Salsa and swing also sounds fun too. The only problem is that I don’t have a dance partner. Perhaps I’ll try belly dancing instead since it’s just a solo effort. Besides, those jingly costumes they wear look pretty neat. I wish Williams had a ballroom dancing club, like Pomona College/Claremont McKenna/Harvey Mudd/Pitzer/Scripps (did I leave a name out?). It would be really sick. But Williams has an equestrian team, so that makes up for it.
I seriously can’t wait to go back to Williams. I miss the clean air. And the fall foliage. And the sound of the bells ringing. And sitting in the lounge at Paresky. And ordering pizza at midnight. And of course, Willy F. I wonder if I should take FRS again…I didn’t really like the subject, but I liked having the class as my entry. Also, if I do FRS again…maybe I can get my humongous room back. But I do wonder how many suitcases I’ll bring back with me in the fall…
I just checked the Hollywood Bowl’s schedule. RENT is going to be there from August 6-8th! (ERIKA + JADE + MIRIAM + EMILE + BECKY, if you’re reading this…we should go! ALSO, Joshua Bell will be there on July 15.) And a trip to the Getty Museum + Villa is also in order. And Disneyland/California Adventure/Downtown Disney. And Universal Studios. And South Coast Plaza. And maybe Catalina Island. (HEY. we can drive GOLF CARTS there since we have our licenses now!) And SeaWorld. And the Santa Monica pier. And if I’m still stuck in Norcal…we can always wander around San Francisco + Berkeley. Or go to Lake Tahoe. GHIRARDELLI SQUARE’s hot fudge sundaes. And pho in San Jose. I also kinda want to go to Vegas…for the food, shopping, and Cirque du Soleil.
Oh…and I should start writing the script for filming. oops. I still can’t decide what it should be…a comedy, a dramedy, or a tragicomedy. There are too many options! And I never know how to end a story. Poor Alex, Ben, Eric, and Laurel…I think they’re all going to be dragged into this filming project Emile and I have concocted. But filming is sooo fun. I wonder why they hated it…
all right. I give up. I’ve been trying to write coherently for 2 hours to avoid thinking about chemo…and it’s going nowhere.
