The day before Tet (Vietnamese New Year), I got my hair cut.
Ha, who cuts my hair, tells me that it's bad luck to cook or take a bath on
New years day.
"You wash all your luck away if you bathe on New Years day," she insisted. She gave me a little lucky envelope with a quarter in it, which is now hanging on my fridge. Let's hope it works. Thankfully, it was good luck to have one's hair cut, however. We'll see.
So I rationalized and didn't take a bath or cook or shave or get out of bed, for that matter...except to drive to Mcdonalds, where they do not, it seems, seem to be in the Tet celebration mood...all day.
Shame they didn't ressurect the McRib sandwich for the year of the Pig or something.
Even if it hadn't been Tet, I would have probably done the same. I didn't seem capable of doing much else, sadly.
Today was Lundi gras. I tried to get my mother to go to the East bank, but she wasn't having it. She has a paranoia about the bridge I think, especially this time of year. Granted it took me two hours the other night to get to the West Bank in pre-parade traffic, but still...
She wouldn't leave the westbank for anything. She wanted to go to Big Lots...again.
My entire holiday seems to have been spent at Big Lots.
To add some variety, I took her to the thrift store, and I bought a 2 dollar coat from the 1960's. It needs to be pressed however. We ate a Burger King and saw "Music and Lyrics."
She liked it.
I thought it was kind of dumb.
I just kept feeling old...and paying obsessive attention to Hugh Grant's horrible lower teeth. They really are disconcerting.
I came home tonight....dodging her guilt bombs....and cooked some flan.
I don't even like flan, but I was bored. I bought the kit at Big Lots.
Now I have 4 cups of it to eat. Ugh
I got home to find a return message from a friend whom I haven't heard back from since before Christmas. She lives in the Marigny, and I wasn't even sure she was still alive. You worry, you know?
I'd hoped I'd maybe get to see her, but I don't think it'll happen. She left a long rambling message on my machine telling me about some new relationship she's found herself in. She was busy at the parades with a "huge crowd" of people. I tried calling back, but never did hear back. Ah well....
4 comments:
My students never mentioned the no showering for New Year, but they did mention the haircut. They also mentioned cleaning the house, but if you dust or sweep you are to keep that in the trash back and throw it out after the New Year has passed. From what I understand it lasts about 12 days, or the lunar cycle. It's quite interesting. I hope you have good luck.
Oh, it seems that it's also unofficial tradition for the kids to brag about how much money they received in their red envelopes.
I meant to write bag and not back. oops!
No kidding? Well, you won't hear me bragging about my quarter.
And...wow... it seems that in complete ignorance I've done everything correctly....hair cut, check...trash thrown out later, check...cleaner up house, half check.
I guess this is similar to Chinese New Year? All my suppliers are in a rush to get things completed and out before CNY when they all take a two week vacation. Can you imagine? No one working for two weeks? Oh wait, sure you can. You get the whole summer off. :)
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