Since Shirzi’s leaving Taiwan, again, on Friday, D…
Since Shirzi’s leaving Taiwan, again, on Friday, Dean, Max, Mark, Richard, Kay, Brian, and I met up at Q Bar for a farewell dinner/drinking binge. I’d had a sore throat all day, so I stuck with red wine after my meal. Mark informed me of a position he’d been offered and had to turn down, and he wanted to know if I wanted it. It’s a part-time gig and pays ‘only’ what I’m making now, and Brian, overhearing our conversation, instantly began to slag the company in question. But I’m going to go for it. I need a change, and it seems to be just about what I am looking for.
We departed Q Bar in high spirits. Shirzi lured me over to Peter’s place by saying there were Pop-tarts (There were not. I should know better than to believe that Pop-tarts can stay in a house for any period longer than two hours). We took the MRT to the Taipower Bldg station, walked down Xinhai Rd to the Tri-service hospital where, several years ago, a doctor examined my knee when I was in the army, and down along an alley to a group of ancient public housing units along the Riverside Expressway. I would be hard pressed to say whether the complex was older than the Chungking Mansions Taipei, where I hope to be moving soon, but Peter was paying even less that I would be, for two rooms, a bathroom and a balcony, on the fourth floor with no elevator.
The place was a mess, full of foreigners, shoes, clothes, books, and other anonymous detrius, but it felt homey enough, especially with the bright colors Peter had painted the walls. My room is almost always a mess as well, so I am in no position to judge that point. Unfortunately, I was feeling rather tired, as if I were coming down with something, so I excused myself after only a few minutes.
I awoke this morning with a horribly sore throat and a general malaise, so I called in sick and went to see Dr. Li at the ENT clinic on Heping E. Road, next to the church. He said I had an infection. I took out one of my remaining bottles of Liquid Brown Mixture to show to him, but he just wrinkled his nose. “That stuff’s full of opium,” he said. I told him I had noticed.
“It sure makes me feel good, though,” I said. Actually I didn’t say that, but it’s what I was thinking. I got a sandwich and went home to rest. I slept a lot, which felt goooooood, and then I went and posted snarky comments on oriented, which I would have done anyway, and I wrote up a new edition of the News from the Renegade Province. I was also notified that two more of my pictures are up at the Mirror Project, photos I took when I was out and about having adventures with Little P in the West Gate District last weekend.
I’m feeling a lot better, although that might just be the medicine. I might go in to the office tomorrow. I can always sleep at work, I suppose. I don’t think anyone would notice. I think they’re just happy if I refrain from doing annoying things like stomping on plastic water bottles or disassembling other people’s mobile phones.
