Xat…

I looked into the mirror in the bathroom light and
Decided I’d need a shave. Above my lips. Around my head.
It was again summer, the sultry breeze saturated with gardenia perfume;
My scalp, slightly sweating, suddenly reminded me of summers ago, when
Fans were still wearily turning overhead, and me still having pages of integrals
Beside my pillow. Due days were preceded by insomnia; succeeded by beers Continue Reading »

The process of skin tone change, in Northern California, is slow and extremely seasonal. For office workers, it mainly takes place on their way to and from work, as well as their weekend excursions. Factors to consider: precipitation, dress code, quality of sunscreen, and interest in outdoor activities.

In the bay area all the rain comes in the coldest months of a year. Warm weather coincides with endless sunshine; a blessing for some, a curse for the others. For our girls who are too shy to carry around an umbrella, they’ll find their arms one shade darker than their torsos in early May. Then their calfs are destined to turn dark unless they can deny the temptations of a short skirt. The same thing apply to guys. On any August day, strip naked and carry some bamboo shoots and you are good to go to a Halloween party. Very exotic, indeed. Continue Reading »

与5号路形成鲜明对比的，是沿着太平洋的1号公路。蜿蜒曲折的海岸线决定了公路的走向。车出venice beach，经过santa monica和malibu，一路左手边都是宽阔的白沙滩。正午的阳光把沙滩和海映成明亮的画布，安插了沿街五彩斑斓的房屋，游人反倒成了移动的风景。malibu的pepperdine大学正对着大海，宫殿式的校园建筑，处处有棕榈迎风摇曳——我若在此，修课会成为副业。 Continue Reading »

5号公路实在是加州笔直的脊梁，两行四道穿过宽广谷地的葡萄园。道上是满载的巨型卡车，通流物资，一举连起萨城和罗省。我被夹在这繁忙的物流当中，顾自前行而不担一事，实在有游手好闲的不安。

每隔一阵，路边有醒目的电子标牌。今天一统是“gusty wind ahead”，好像风永远在前方，但永远不会来。我很喜欢gusty这个词，因为第一次在湾桥上把gust误读成gut，于是有了彻心彻肺的寒意。砂打在挡风玻璃上，打出了白痕。喷了水用雨刷刷，水流沿着车顶一直流到后车窗上去。因此尽管太阳好，开敞棚却不会是好主意。

本地NPR，上了5号便听不见。此后电台在谷地里渐次消失，最后剩下的，大部分倒是西语台。间有ATT的广告，一男士在抢救间心跳停止，弥留之际发现新装的宽带尚待体验。想到了“I have to update my blog!”，一下就从天堂蹦回到人间。