Journal of a Sabbatical

October 26, 2000

decoration

Today's Reading: none

I finished Coming Home Crazy last night and was all set to write a review of it then but words fail me today. I like the structure of the book, a series of essays about various topics related to living in China and coming home to Minnesota. The essays are arranged alphabetically so you can read them in any order, sort of like the non-narrative structure of a lot of web stuff these days. It's a fun read if you've been to China. I particularly enjoyed comparing Holm's experiences in 1986 with mine in 2000. China has changed a lot - but not entirely.

In other news here off the edge of the universe, Pajama Woman (my next door neighbor) has put up a Halloween decoration directly outside my unit. There's no way that where she put it could remotely be construed as being in her yard. It's a witch hanging on the light pole at the end of the courtyard - common property directly outside my unit.

She was out there this afternoon on a ladder trying to secure the witch to the pole and to insert the broomstick into the witch's butt. The hole for the broomstick was too small so she ended up putting the broom under the arm. I gather the witch is supposed to look like it crashed into the pole. Anyway, the sight of Pajama Woman out there on ladder on uneven ground reaching for the pole caused neighbors to flood out of their units to make sure she didn't fall and get another back injury. Me? Of course I was alarmed at her using the ladder without somebody there to hold it, but I was also alarmed at this ugly thing going up outside my window. Every time I look out the window I think someone is approaching my back door, or, worse, an intruder is climbing up the pole trying to get to my window. Darn spooky I say.