Lucky

I'm in the new coffee place. I know, I know. Too much coffeeshopping, too little real life. It's not that, though. It's just a nice respite from the pink walls and fluorescent overhead lighting. Probably these lights are fluorescent, too, but at least they are warm-toned, not cool.

Friday night a bunch of friends and I went out to Kro's Nest, which is a pizza joint managed by some French guy. This French guy wasn't being particularly nice to us, but it's cool. I had brought my secret, French manager-thwarting weapon: my Chinese language partner. She bypassed the French completely and went to the waitresses. They seated us in like 5 minutes. Frenchy was asking why we didn't have reservations about the time I came back to the group and said, "Hey, we got a couple booths over here." In case you're keeping score back home, that would put us at American/Chinese/Filipino/Singaporean kids: 1. French: 0. I'm awfully smug for a person who, regardless, still paid a decent piece of change for that New York style pizza. As though the French manager doesn't get paid there?

Anyway, it was a great adventure. My conversation partner had (there will be two opportunities to gasp... be ready) 1.) never eaten pizza and 2.) never eaten with a fork and knife. I know that the American contingent out there is probably going "Why would she need a fork and knife for pizza?" It's the super-big pizzeria-style pie that one has to eat that way until a few inches before the crust. Otherwise, it would flop all over the place. She was a trooper, and she later emailed me about how glad she was that we had gone, and how much fun she'd had. If I can do one thing, it's probably to introduce you to something bizarre or otherwise. I'm amassing a collection.

That said, today has been interesting (though yesterday was a dud). This afternoon, I asked Austin (who is the second-semester roommate-to-be) if he'd like to join us other American men to lunch. He agreed, and we went to the Tube Station, which is a restaurant that does sandwiches and pizza and things in that vein. Afterwards, some of us went to the dvd shop where my friend works. He was in there this time. We had a good chat (well, I mean, as good as can be expected since we don't really speak each others' languages well) about why one of my friends was not wearing enough clothes for the weather, and if he was cold. I said, "他很冷" which basically means, "He's very cold." Then we talked about whether or not I play guitar. (Why I know how to say, "I can't play guitar" and, yet I cannot say "I am lost" I will never know.) I told my dvd-store-friend that Austin actually does play guitar. Then we rolled it into an event slated for tomorrow. We're going back around 5 tomorrow so Austin can play guitar in the dvd shop in the back of a clothes shop. I have to go because I got him into this mess. It's going to be a hoot.

Now I'm in my new favorite (right after Starbucks in Xidan) coffeeshop. It's Spinelli Coffee Co., San Francisco, and it's in a mall. What's ridiculous right now is that there are mobs (MOBS!) of people in the middle of the mall crowded around a stage. I asked a worker here who is there (in Chinese) and she answered me in English, "A superstar."

"Is he a singer?"
"No."
"Is he an actor?"
"No."
Oh, no, I thought. This is going to be weird.
"He is from Happy Boys."
"Is that tv?"
"Yes."

Apparently I am less than 100 yards from the Chinese American Idol. And I think I'm sitting in the sindow that is along his escape corridor. I'm waiting this sucker out. I might get to see China's American Idol! How can I not wait?

Fame is so stupid. Honestly. He probably doesn't even sing in English!

T

p.s. One of our friends down pretty far south of me, and nearer the sea, is sick with a mosquito-borne fever. Be thinking about him and his family as he's in the hospital.

p.p.s. Yep, I saw him. He's very thin and has big hair. I think he looks very talented. Just don't ask me his name.