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When I'm not here, you may find me wandering the pages below. (If I'm a regular visitor to your site and I've left your link off or mislinked to you, please let me know! And likewise, if you've blogrolled me, please check that my link is updated: thisroamanticlife.blogspot.com. The extra (a) makes all the difference!)

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For posts sorted by date or label, see the links below.

For posts on frequently referenced topics, click the buttons to the right.

To search this blog, type in the field at the top left of the page and hit enter.

Body: in sickness and in health

I won't lie; this body and I have had our issues with each other for many years. Body image -- sure. Physical and mental overextension -- comes with being a Type A kind of girl. I still struggle with these things, so they show up from time to time in my writing.

More recently, illness, pure but not simple, has added itself to the mix in a multi-system sort of way. And the challenges in figuring out exactly what's gone wrong are many. As problems have revealed themselves in the last few years, beginning with reactive hypoglycemia in late 2008, I've documented them here, partly to gain a little clarity on managing complex conditions but mostly to give voice to vulnerabilities I feel but don't normally share with anyone face to face. Better out than in, they say, right? (Oh yes, humor is one way I deal.)

The links below cover the different angles I've examined (and from which I've been examined) within that experience.

Travel: neither here nor there

When the person you're married to lives two time zones away, you log a fair number of frequent flier miles. And if you blog about commuter relationships, you log quite a few posts en route too.

Since we're no longer in separate places, I blog less often from airports. But we do travel -- together now! -- which is much more fun to write about. So in addition to thoughts on our years of commuting, the links below cover the places we've been as a pair and, in some cases, the adventures that have happened on the way.

Writing: the long and short of it

Why do I do it? Good question. Maybe it's not so much that I like to write but that I have to write, even when the words refuse to stick to the page. Believe me, I've tried doing other things like majoring in biochemistry (freshman fall, many semesters ago). Within a year, I'd switched to English with a concentration in creative writing and wasn't looking back.

After graduating, I taught English for a few years and then worked as an editor, which I still do freelance. In 2007, I applied and got into an MFA program at a place I like to call Little U. on the Prairie. I finished my degree in 2011 and have been balancing tutoring and writing on my own ever since.

The following links cover the writing I've done about writing: process, content, obstacles, you name it. It's not always pretty. But some part of me loves it, even when it's hard. And this is the result.

Heart: family and friends

I'd have a hard time explaining who I am without being able to talk about the family I grew up in as well as the people I've met beyond its bounds. But even with such context, it's not easy! In the simplest terms, I'm a first-generation Asian-American who has spent most of this life caught between cultures. That, of course, doesn't even begin to describe what I mean to, but there's my first stab at the heart of it all.

That's what this group of posts is reserved for -- heart. The essential parts of my life whose influences I carry with me, for better or worse. The links below cover what I've written as I've learned how these forces work within me, for me, against me, in spite of me. They anchor me even as they change me, and they keep life interesting.

Recommended reading

What do I do when there's too much on my mind and my words won't stick to the page? I escape into someone else's thoughts. Below is a collection of books and articles that have been sources of information, inspiration, and occasional insight for my own work.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

"What does 'annulé' mean?"


It is so good to be home again.

The last week has been largely dominated by airport mayhem. Last Monday, I checked my flights to Toronto first thing in the morning and discovered that the first leg connecting through Chicago had been canceled on account of a serious storm system sitting over Lake Michigan. Managed to get rebooked on another flight leaving seven hours later, got to O'Hare, and was promptly trapped there by a second storm system. One that spawned a tornado. Second leg of the journey promptly canceled. No hotels with rooms within a half-hour drive. Prepared to spend the night with everyone else in the same boat.

Luckily, D's aunt, who lives in Chicago, rescued me and put me up on her couch for a few hours. Watched an incredible lightning storm over Lake Michigan from her 38th floor condo (the photo was shot at midnight but it looked bright enough to be close to dawn). Went back to O'Hare. Got on standby and flew out at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Baggage did not.

Arrived in Toronto, filled out paperwork for missing bag. Missing bag located after several phone calls to check automated reports. Scheduled delivery for after 6 p.m. Still no bag at 1 a.m.

Bag delivery rescheduled Wednesday morning after more phone calls. Bag finally arrived at 2:30 p.m. Contents of bag sopping wet and visibly molding (we won't mention the smell), including nearly all the items for the wedding on Saturday (most of which were dry clean only). Long phone call to local AA baggage people for explanation and questions on how to make a claim for damages. Clothing dropped off for emergency laundering at dry cleaner.

Clothing retrieved Thursday afternoon. Smell had not come out. Several items too small (from their initial soaking) and still stained. Emergency trip to mall to find something to wear to rehearsal dinner. Called D, asked him to bring another dress for the wedding (fortunately, there was one more hanging in the closet at home that was appropriate).

Lugged all damaged items -- including suitcase, which could not be cleaned and stank like a bog -- back to airport to meet with baggage supervisor on Friday. Supervisor authorized reimbursement for bag and dry cleaning, said he would get back to us about the rest of the goods. Supervisor also suggested that the courier service may have left the bag outside by accident during the storm that soaked the city Tuesday evening but said he would look into that too (I'm inclined to think the damage happened during the Chicago deluge). Went back to mall to buy suitcase. Waited for D to arrive.

Enjoyed wedding hoopla all day Saturday. Transferred belongings to new suitcase. Called AA just to make sure our next day's flights were going to go (with the 0 for 2 track record on the way to Toronto, I wasn't feeling optimistic). Confirmed all flights still scheduled and on time.

Headed for airport Sunday morning with D and little sis. While in line to check in, little sis asked for my flight info while looking at the departure screens.

"What does 'annulé' mean?" little sis asked.

"Canceled," I said. And then: "WHAT?!"

Yep, 0 for 3. This time for some kind of mechanical problem, not weather, but still -- !

Said goodbye to little sis, whose flight was still on. Dropped damaged suitcase off with baggage supervisor and picked up reimbursement check. Got flights rebooked on Air Canada going through Vancouver, arriving about four hours later than original flight. Killed time, watched some of the Olympics.

Went through customs in Vancouver. Final flight delayed. BUT (and I say this with a great deal of glass half full perspective) we got to fly in a prop plane, which I haven't done in over a decade. Lower flying altitude, amazing views all the way back to Seattle. A small consolation at the end of the most trying week of air travel I have ever experienced.

I know I said I would blog more about my parents' visit -- and I will! -- but let me recover a little first, okay? Then I'll also talk more about what I did while I wasn't dealing with airport-related chaos in Toronto (yes, I did get to spend some time on other things too). Just cross your fingers for me that next Sunday's flight back to school goes as planned ...
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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

"What does 'annulé' mean?"


It is so good to be home again.

The last week has been largely dominated by airport mayhem. Last Monday, I checked my flights to Toronto first thing in the morning and discovered that the first leg connecting through Chicago had been canceled on account of a serious storm system sitting over Lake Michigan. Managed to get rebooked on another flight leaving seven hours later, got to O'Hare, and was promptly trapped there by a second storm system. One that spawned a tornado. Second leg of the journey promptly canceled. No hotels with rooms within a half-hour drive. Prepared to spend the night with everyone else in the same boat.

Luckily, D's aunt, who lives in Chicago, rescued me and put me up on her couch for a few hours. Watched an incredible lightning storm over Lake Michigan from her 38th floor condo (the photo was shot at midnight but it looked bright enough to be close to dawn). Went back to O'Hare. Got on standby and flew out at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Baggage did not.

Arrived in Toronto, filled out paperwork for missing bag. Missing bag located after several phone calls to check automated reports. Scheduled delivery for after 6 p.m. Still no bag at 1 a.m.

Bag delivery rescheduled Wednesday morning after more phone calls. Bag finally arrived at 2:30 p.m. Contents of bag sopping wet and visibly molding (we won't mention the smell), including nearly all the items for the wedding on Saturday (most of which were dry clean only). Long phone call to local AA baggage people for explanation and questions on how to make a claim for damages. Clothing dropped off for emergency laundering at dry cleaner.

Clothing retrieved Thursday afternoon. Smell had not come out. Several items too small (from their initial soaking) and still stained. Emergency trip to mall to find something to wear to rehearsal dinner. Called D, asked him to bring another dress for the wedding (fortunately, there was one more hanging in the closet at home that was appropriate).

Lugged all damaged items -- including suitcase, which could not be cleaned and stank like a bog -- back to airport to meet with baggage supervisor on Friday. Supervisor authorized reimbursement for bag and dry cleaning, said he would get back to us about the rest of the goods. Supervisor also suggested that the courier service may have left the bag outside by accident during the storm that soaked the city Tuesday evening but said he would look into that too (I'm inclined to think the damage happened during the Chicago deluge). Went back to mall to buy suitcase. Waited for D to arrive.

Enjoyed wedding hoopla all day Saturday. Transferred belongings to new suitcase. Called AA just to make sure our next day's flights were going to go (with the 0 for 2 track record on the way to Toronto, I wasn't feeling optimistic). Confirmed all flights still scheduled and on time.

Headed for airport Sunday morning with D and little sis. While in line to check in, little sis asked for my flight info while looking at the departure screens.

"What does 'annulé' mean?" little sis asked.

"Canceled," I said. And then: "WHAT?!"

Yep, 0 for 3. This time for some kind of mechanical problem, not weather, but still -- !

Said goodbye to little sis, whose flight was still on. Dropped damaged suitcase off with baggage supervisor and picked up reimbursement check. Got flights rebooked on Air Canada going through Vancouver, arriving about four hours later than original flight. Killed time, watched some of the Olympics.

Went through customs in Vancouver. Final flight delayed. BUT (and I say this with a great deal of glass half full perspective) we got to fly in a prop plane, which I haven't done in over a decade. Lower flying altitude, amazing views all the way back to Seattle. A small consolation at the end of the most trying week of air travel I have ever experienced.

I know I said I would blog more about my parents' visit -- and I will! -- but let me recover a little first, okay? Then I'll also talk more about what I did while I wasn't dealing with airport-related chaos in Toronto (yes, I did get to spend some time on other things too). Just cross your fingers for me that next Sunday's flight back to school goes as planned ...
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