"Make good choices"

Sarah texted that to me last night when I was at the House of Sharing benefit concert. Needless to say, I made a whole string of unwise choices, which led to staying out way too late and aggravating the already tenuous state of my health. I'm a little horrified (again) by how I've adapted to this incredibly stressful lifestyle, and how I create a lot of the stress and then feed off of it. I have nightmares every night about things that I worry about during the day (last night's was about laundry, the night before about packing). It's not sustainable, this much I know.

Sarah brought me peanut butter and an English muffin yesterday for breakfast as she finalized her NYC sublet and as I lazed in bed. We went out for a stuff-your-face lunch, and then walked around as I bought trinkets and a dress from young vendors lined up and down a street connecting two popular neighborhoods. We met two of her friends but I left soon after for a nap, and then dinner with Katherine in her hood. Dinner was great, and she advised me wisely as usual, but on a topic that devastates me: the ethics of how people interact in various communities.

We then headed to the benefit, which drew a big crowd, albeit not the kind that I'm used to here. I haven't been in closed quarters with so many non-Koreans for a LONG time, and got a little panicked about going back home in a month. Sarah and I had talked about the different ways of negotiating our lives as "the other" and how it's constantly changing. And that the changing nature of constant negotiation needs to be understood and accepted for what it is.
...

I just talked with my sister for a bit and she has helped put things into perspective (as in, what am I stressed about? What's really important? How can these problems be solved?) - I see that I've been digging myself into the usual hole so it's time to climb out.

I couldn't take pics on Friday of Boram's show, but she did! Look here. [a serious framing job!]

Also, I was poking around recently and found this, which I love. [start there and go about five frames; that section I liked best.]