Day 80 – Tuesday

Ena - Day 80

Ena: Well, it reached a high of 78 degrees here in Los Angeles today and, being a major bonehead, I opted to dress myself in no less than two different animal skins and nearly head-to-toe black; unbelievable.  Needless to say, I have spent the bulk of my day absolutely sweltering, entirely uncomfortable, and generally perturbed with no one to blame but myself.  Booo!

It’s funny how outfit problems frequently equal attitude problems…at least, they do for me.  I’m not positive, but I’d be willing to bet that I’m not the only one for whom dissatisfaction with my clothing choices quickly translates into  dissatisfaction with my day.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that this is in any way healthy or excusable, but it does speak to the magical powers of fashion; “looking good means feeling good.”  I suppose in this instance it’s more like: “looking good in weather appropriate clothing means feeling comfortable and less like an angry improperly dressed idiot,” but the first one has more of a ring to it, don’t you think?

Bina - Day 80

Bina: From the depths of my closet, I bring you this rarely-worn dress. I have no idea where I even got it, but I can guarantee that it was certainly on sale or clearance, and it used to fit me quite snugly. This morning, when I realized how baggy the waistline was, I reached for a stretchy brown belt that used to squeeze the life out of me; today it hung off my waist. Jeezum crow, man.

My brother kept grabbing my arm and commenting on my weight loss during his visit, “You’re like a skinny person now. It’s weird. Don’t lose anymore.” Thanks, maybe, I think…wait…

With everything that’s been going on in Japan, it was nice to have Bikrum here for a couple of days. I took him out one night to a private opening reception at a friend’s new bar in Hollywood. It was fun to be out again. I put on my dress from Day 76 (minus the crazy tights) and opted for my Big Girl Shoes. I asked my brother if I looked slutty; he reassured me I did not. (And I trust he would tell me the truth.)

Once at the bar, as I was on my way to the restroom, the friend who owns the place stopped me and said, “Whoa, well, well, aren’t you looking sexy today? What are you trying to do tonight?” I don’t really know what that means, so I just said, “Oh you know, some damage.” (I don’t know what that means either.) I also ran into the Toolsack again, who drunkenly gave me a hug and said, “I love this girl to death.” Yeah, I don’t think so. I managed to make it out of that exchange relatively unscathed, and hours later when I was home in my pj’s, I would receive this text from him, “U still at the bar?” When I said no and he sent me a sad face, I retorted, “Don’t cry. Wha happen? All the other Asian girls left?” I’m not sure what came over me, but it seemed appropriate.

Speaking of Asia (worst segue ever), I have family on my mind. I just got off the phone with my Mom, and she informed me that the situation is still pretty dire in Tokyo. The shelves at all the stores are empty; my aunt was unable to fill her car up with gas after waiting politely, of course, for hours; the aftershocks keep coming; radiation levels are starting to spike. I also learned that I have a few relatives from my Grandma’s side in Sendai who we have not yet been able to make contact with so she’s pretty worried.

In tonight’s dance class, our instructor said that her brother is coming home from Tokyo tomorrow. He has been teaching classes there over the last few years. I asked my Mom if maybe our family should leave and come to Texas or California to stay with us. She said they had talked about the possibility but it’s a pretty huge decision. I’m gonna keep praying. When something like this is happening to people you love, it certainly puts things in perspective.