expand my cultural interests beyond the here and now.

Select five activities for this goal beyond food or movies.

Went to a Kabuki performance/master class.

I guess it’s a sign of American xenophobia that Blockbuster clerks
will warn you if the movie has subtitles.

Today they also gave me the heads up that Sweeney Todd is a musical.

Had banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwiches) at a couple places places in SE Portland. Really good and cheap, too.

i like the SE Asian vibe. I get my hair cut at a Vietnamese salon. They take their time, chat warmly, and even throw in a scalp massage at the end. $10.

SuperCuts, on the other hand, costs 50% more. They shear you like a sheep in 6 minutes, timed by the cash register computer. Conversation tends toward three questions: “Are you working today?”, “Big plans for the weekend?”, and How about those Blazers?”.

Apart from sushi bars, I’ve only been to Japanese restaurants a few times. I have no idea what to order or how to comport myself, much less in the presence of company. Cost too is an issue.

I live about 10 minutes from a fantastic Asian mega-grocery store (Uwajimaya), so I have no excuse and should take advantage. I bought what is supposed to be a seminal book on the subject: Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art.

I only meet this goal regularly in the areas of movies and food. I’m thinking of reframimg the goal concretely: “Spend 10 hours a month pursuing anachronistic or foreign subjects.”

A goodly amount the DVDs I rent now are subtitled.

Besides the Girl Scout cookie order lists that circulate at work, we’re subjected to sales of frozen cookie dough to support the schools. This year the order form was bilingual, English/Spanish. I rallied the native speakers.

My favorite was the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cookie dough—literally translated as “Lard of the peanut in Reese’s style”.

I told a half-Hispanic, half-Swedish coworker that I took two years of HS Spanish and retained almost nothing. She challenged me to decipher a “Latina” magazine and I muddled my way through much better than I thought I would. She told me to persevere: “You’re so close and don’t know it.” And Portland has no shortage of Spanish speakers now.

Hence my other goal: “Learn enough Spanish to eavesdrop.”