alien

i miss america. it finally hit me on the plane that i would be living in this weird, foreign place (realizations triggered by the 'tomate jus' carton and the metric temperatures). two years is a long time! perhaps only the leaving of one's country can evince such fondness for its eccentricities. i hate that other countries who call their currencies 'dollars' use the $ sign. why would they want to use the US's initials to brand their money? sheesh. and i was thinking...i'm not ashamed to be an american. i mean, we're making a mess of things abroad...but who could do better? sure everyone could've avoided the war in iraq, but on a broader scale, who could really keep from fucking up? not england (empirical), not france (they can't even keep themselves sorted), and certainly not china (ha!).

i used to think that china was (maybe) politically preferable to the US because at least most ppl in china know that the media is bullshit. i mean, both countries screw ppl over, only the US likes to pretend it doesn't, using free speech and free press as bromides to lull citizens into a false sense of information. but at least the US feels the need to pretend. that means that the government is accountable in some form to the ppl, right? well, maybe intentions don't really mean much.

enough ruminations. narration now: business class is amazing. i watched 6 movies on the way over, and drank TONS. i got a little too tipsy in the vip lounge in LA...it took a lot of effort to stand upright, so i spent as much time as possible asian squatting. i was very afraid i'd pass out or throw up or something. i couldn't close my eyes because then it got hard to open them again. i'm sure i was quite the sight. oh, and the lounge had prunes! i was very excited. teehee. luckily, i got to the plane intact. the guy who sat next to me might've had a lech for me..i'm not sure. he was very nice, but very sketch. he kept trying to ply me with alcohol. i had a sip of his scotch...smokey. i think i liked it...but not enough to order my own. he also said things like "you're very pretty" and "you look very peaceful when you sleep" and "i like your shoes, i keep trying to get my daughter to buy a pair of those, but she won't". yeah, he has a daughter and a wife and a zillion pets. hmmm...and i'm not flattered that a 50 year old man thinks my shoes are sensible, but his 17 year old daughter doesn't think they're cool enough. i spent most of the ride hiding between my earphones. what exactly do you say to someone who tells you you're a peaceful sleeper (besides the honest truth: you're creepy, stop watching me). i think i managed a feeble "thanks"...but maybe i should've said "you too"? he was perfectly gentlemanly though...like he offered to get me things when he got up, and he helped me put my luggage up...just very thoughtful, little things...but maybe with nefarious intentions? who knows. i'm just glad i'll never see him again. despite social awkwardness, i was very comfortable. the seats recline almost all the way (like your body can be straight), and you control your own little tv (so you can choose from a menu of like 20 movies and a bunch of tv shows and even a couple of video games...the game selection was weak tho). and the food...oh the food. well, maybe the wine menu was more exciting than the food. but still. lots of culinary exploration. monkfish and arugula mashed potatoes, seafood congee, mushroom omelettes, smoked salmon, etc etc. i also think i have a new drink of choice: mimosa (compliments of mr creepy man).