It’s after one in the morning. From downstairs com…
It’s after one in the morning. From downstairs comes the sounds of construction: welding, hacksaws, steamshovels, hammers and nails, that sort of thing. A loud concert necessitated my absence today, and the concert last night had the same effect. Groups of old women crank up Tai-chi accompaniment music at 6 am every day and in the evenings when there isn’t some sort of concert downstairs. And my landlord isn’t planning to upgrade my windows with glass any thicker than saran wrap for another year.
What should amaze me the most is the fact that, even after agonizing over finding a good place to live and even spending more money, I still screwed this one up. This requires about six kinds of stupidity, all of which I apparently possess in spades. Alas, there’s nothing I can do about the situation, since I went and signed a year-long contract, and what’s to keep me from simply moving into another fatally flawed residence? Nothing, certainly not any good judgement skills on my part. Yes, this is Taiwan, you say, and it’s just a loud place, but you should know that most of the alleyways are quiet most of the time, especially at night.
I escaped the noise today by going over to the Zoology Department at National Taiwan University, where my friend Paul Barlow, aka Norman Szabo, was filming his latest project with a Sony PD150 he borrowed from his wife’s employer out in Keelung. I held the boom mike and made snarky comments in exchange for credit and a mention at the inevitable awards ceremonies in this film’s future. Dean is playing a major role, along with other friends Maurice and Peter from the play we did last year, and the plot involves the use of interesting gadgetry and lots of mousse. That’s all I can say at this point. The last day of shooting is tomorrow, and I might bring my own camera to try and get some shots for my latest little project.
It was raining when we got done filming tonight, and Dean, Peter and I went to the New Orleans cajun restaurant on Xinsheng and Roosevelt Rds for some mediocre food and cigar smoke. I should have had the red beans and rice. It’s been years since I’ve had that. I wonder if they have Hop ‘n John.
I’ve uploaded this week’s film clip, one even bigger and more cumbersome than last week’s. This one is the view one gets emerging from the subway in front of Sogo Department Store, behind which is the noise-ridden area where I live. It’s something like 3.8mb, so if you don’t have broadband, you might want to cancel your evening plans if you want to download it.
