The Hermit Poet

This past week I’ve started walking 2 miles each morning on the treadmill. Since I’m already a bit of a speedwalker, I’m currently using the 4 miles/hour setting — which is speedy, but not my top speed. It is however a good speed for walking longer periods of time.

Classes start in another week, meanwhile my roommate and other PhD students who are teaching this year are neck-deep in teaching tutorial homework (yep, they get homework and reading for 2 weeks before classes start). I’m spending this time ordering my textbooks (done), wandering around Koreatown looking for thrift shops (surprisingly, there really aren’t many), and visiting with old friends. So far it’s been a pleasant break — I’ve even got a welcome back barbecue to attend on Sunday with an old programmer friend of mine.

Last night I slipped over to Santa Monica and attended the Rapp Saloon open reading. It was a small intimate reading (quite unlike a few years ago when the room was packed) — but the readers and the feature were excellent. Mani Suri was hosting, so it was good to catch up with him as well. I also had a nice chat with the poets afterward at the Interactive Cafe – a traditional hangout spot for that reading. The sandwiches were as expensive as I remembered them — so this time I opted for a ham-n-cheese croissant — a more economical solution, just as tasty.

Today already promises to be a full one — I’m planning a trip over to Glendale to scout out one of the thrift stores, maybe a couple garage sales, and definitely IKEA (we need end tables and another lamp). My roommate Suraj (or “Shank” as another poet has renamed him) will likely tag along. I don’t think he’s been anywhere in LA so far other than the airport, campus, and Koreatown.

In other news, it’s the Tofu Festival in Little Tokyo today. Part of me wants to check that out as well — we shall see if it works out. Tonight we (the incoming Creative Writing contingent of the PhD) are having a get together to celebrate the arrival of the last of us (Josh just rolled into town last night after 6 straight days of driving). Somewhere along the way he had stopped in a small town and won a lumberjack competition (bizarre).