Grubby Diary Entry
I am sitting in the N terminal to my board my flight to Minneapolis, and I've got an hour to kill
I am sitting in the N terminal with an hour to go until we board for the flight to Minneapolis, and I’ve got time to kill. Just read Maddy Court’s latest blog post* where she documents a typical boring week and the meals she eats. It was so surprisingly interesting to read about her “boring” week, so now I want to log my meals too. And for fun I’ll include the art making too.
So while I sit next to a bunch of unmasked passengers** and listen to a toddler cry, let me recount this past week’s meals and art making:
Saturday Feb 4
Woke up early and anxious for an art residency interview (3 months at an indie comic shop) and swim lessons.
Did not drink coffee because it would make me too anxious.
Decided to skip swimming in case I got exposed to COVID before my trip. Went for a run instead, and finished up my slightly-bad-texture-but-good-flavor-twisted-Mapo Tofu.
I bought two bunches of organic broccoli at the fancy grocery store and it was 75% stem so I was not going to waste it. It’s super organic so the stem is rough and fibrous, I sliced the outer layer off but still didn’t get all of the gross fiber stuff off-- hence weird/bad texture. But cooked with silken tofu and chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn, it was surprisingly tasty. Ate with leftover quinoa (99¢ tub in QFC clearance section) for extra protein.
Went for a run instead of swimming to get anxieties out, got a call from Alex and we last minute decided to drive down to the Northwest Detention Center to support the 85 hunger strikers***.
I eat 600% less vegetable now that I don’t live with Alex so they kindly sautéed some red bell pepper that I ate in the car. We drove down to Tacoma just in time for the rally to end, ran to a coffee shop to pee, and then drove back home.
Met up with friends to make fake plaster cake, and then went to Regent Bakery for real cake. I got a hazelnut chocolate mousse cake, and a coconut bun for later.
Sunday Feb 5
This weekend I mentally prepared myself for uncomfortable activities (interview, swimming, action). Sunday is the same because I’m going canvassing, which I absolutely feel so uncomfortable with the entire time dear god oh how I hate it. But I really hope for the initiative to pass (ballots due 2-14: vote yes for I-135 social housing if you’re in Seattle!!). Check it out!! ****I was rewarded for my engagement in local politics by being paired up with a white man and self described Weeb as a doorknocking buddy. Which was actually not too bad but i was aware that i am ASIAN and do not TALK to me about ur WEEB interests!!! As a reward for 2.5 hours of slowly going door to door I left immediately after we finished and got a Coffee Oreo scoop at Full Tilt. Dairy ice cream sooo much better than my vegan coconut milk ice cream.
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Monday Feb 6:
Added some quinoa to my oatmeal, which was weird and sort of bad. Cannot remember what I did this day. Probably went for a walk, drank coffee, ate high fiber cereal from Trader Joe’s. Called a friend and talked about Trader Joe’s and how it doesn’t have real food, just amazing snacks. Produce selection?? Terrible... I don’t want individually plastic wrapped green onions. Ate my coconut bun as a fun little snack throughout the day. Regent bakery really fills their buns with the coconut filling. And cheap lattes! Haven’t tried, but would then be a perfect place to sit and work for awhile if only they had wifi.
Drew a design to try to screen print. One of my roomies and I just got some screen printing supplies and did a first experimental run. This one is a bear making tea.
Darned one of my roomie’s socks into a heart design.
Tuesday Feb 7:
Met up to cowork at Cypress Coffee with a friend, demographic of suburban Bellevue very different than coffee shop in cap hill or Seattle. Wore my carabiner very visibly with my flannel and boots for any lesbians I would encounter but the only ppl sitting in the cafe were lots of 50+ year old white men wearing AirPods and puffer vests with sensible but fancy boat shoes. Got a soy latte for $7. Ate lunch with the same friend and we split Chana saag and something with paneer. Delicious and reminded me how much I love basmati rice. We snuck back into the coffee shop with our same cups and worked for several more hours, with pomodoro talking breaks.
Drove to my dads for a haircut and pork with rice dinner. He air fried the breaded pork and stir fried some Nappa cabbage with a little chili oil. Delicious and I also ate some grapes. He was so excited about the crisp grapes but they turned out a little mushy and he gets so visibly upset about a lot of things, including soft fruit. He gave me some cosmic crisp apples (on sale at Fred Meyers) and mandarin oranges to take home.
Attempted to bleach my pants and hat, which I count as art making. Cloud pants have a subtle but still present period stain and my baseball hat is gross around the rim from my sweaty head. Was unsuccessful in removing either stain.
Continued working on the screen print design and using a brush pen since I’ll be painting on the liquid pencil.
Wednesday Feb 8:
Drove my roomie to work and decided to work at Boon Boona. Bought a soy latte and veggie breakfast sandwich, plus a bag of coffee as a gift for my Minneapolis hosts. Finally finished The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Nonprofit Industrial Complex. People watched at the cafe, and enjoying being out in the city so early in the day. Good coffee and sandwich and I keep overspending being so close to good food.
Called some friends in the evening, then made some pretty good broccoli and pasta. Started painting the my screen printing stencil onto the screen. Can’t do too much detail. Using screen filler and drawing fluid, not emulsion, but now I can see the appeal if you want small details.
Thursday Feb 9:
Started packing for Minneapolis! Visiting a friend and a crush so gotta have good outfits to go out and try to look nice in.
Excited to use a vacuum pack bag just because it’s fun to watch all my sweaters shrink into a wrinkly plastic blob.
Prepped a Tupperware of sliced apple and carrots to snack on through the day. Went over to Alex’s to co-work, but did not stop at King Donuts for a fluffy perfect simple glazed and 12 ounce coffee. Next time! Brought my left overs for lunch but ate some of their food too. Food bank very American style sushi and a smooth tomato and squash soup over some more basmati rice. I love basmati rice, so fragrant and delicate. Better than short grain Japanese rice...
Made pasta with canned salmon (sockeye, jacks I think) with broccoli and what are those salty pickle flower bud things? Suddenly can’t remember, but yummy. Finished the last of my fancy broccoli. Finished season 2 of Sort Of. Bessie is messy and I love Sabi’s monotone.
Friday February 10:
Made banana pancakes for breakfast, quickly burned the first one. Using one banana to replace one of the eggs, and powdered milk instead of fresh. Used the rest of my canned salmon to make a sort of salmon melt for lunch-- panini pressed with Monterey Jack cheese and a handful of spinach. With a little sliced pickle diced into the mix. Finished the last of my bread. Doing good on eating up all my food before my trip! More big bowl of apple and carrots.
My mom stopped by with Rufus, and she also brought me an Auntie Anne’s pretzel which is one of the best mall foods ever. Ate the rest of my pasta for dinner.
Added the screen filler to my silk screen, but the drawing fluid was too thin and so it basically filled the entire screen. Hard to describe but basically I made a stencil but there’s nothing to stencil---just a blank blurry block. Spent the rest of the time scrubbing out the stencil in our tub. Then inspired to clear out the tub drain with goopy drain-o which was the most satisfying.
Received an email that I will not be getting the residency, so I took time with my disappointment by going for a walk down to the 7 eleven which turned out to be closed. Thought about getting ice cream from Baskin Robbins, but didn’t want to cross the busy street. Listened to all of Bambu’s Party Worker album for the duration on my walk. Stopped through the park and admired a funny pug.
Saturday February 11:
All caught up to today! Drank a big cup of coffee, along with a bowl of high fiber cereal. Finished my salmon salad with some gluten free crackers. Forgot my water bottle at home, so gulped a bunch of water at the water fountain.
Footnotes:
* Maddy Court’s Grub Street Diet post:
** ya I judge the ppl who aren’t wearing masks and also I don’t want them to get sick and also it’s individual choice amidst larger societal and state violence enacting disability injustice to prioritize capital over people.
*** the hunger strike has since ended, but you can read more from La Resistencia about the violence of the GEO group and inhumane conditions that detained folks are living in here. https://m.facebook.com/LaResistenciaNW/photos/a.2420953877965478/6020096094717887/?type=3&source=48&paipv=0&eav=AfaD0w-DE89WOXjOraCX3sbKxL6S2Et9Y7__Ze6sUrkpKqKQnX2CUpoVC20bLlDghDs
**** House Our Neighbors: https://www.houseourneighbors.org/learn-more