(16.1) BEH Entry #5: Chinese Food

Work was physically draining, which set the tone for the evening.

9:05pm- I got home and there on the stove was a bag of Chinese food. Sweet and Sour Chicken and and an order of Crab Rangoons. I devoured all but three of the crab rangoons, and then eat four peices of chicken on rice covered in sweet and sour sauce.

9:36- I took the dog for his walk. I could actually tell that it was cold out, which means that it was really cold out. My guess would be close the freezing. If I had put on pants, instead of winter pajamas and shoes instead of house slippers, I would not have noticed how cold it was.

10:00- Realizing that I had not calmed down at all from work and I was hopped up on Chinese food, I watched Lewis Black on Comedy Central. Most of the jokes I had heard about but never seen him deliver. I enjoy how he tells the joke more then the jokes themselves, and most of the cursing and some of the topics I blame on what people are stressing over. I was on the internet, but nothing caught my attention, my instant messenger was not signing in to half of my accounts.

11:30- Seeing that time was moving much faster then I would like, I started to paint. I did all three of my small pieces and the last large piece, start to finish. For the most part I surprised myself at the outcome of the paintings. Most of the time I have no idea what I am working at, I put charcoal lines down on the paper. When I start to put paint about 80% of the lines get erased immediately, only darkening the paint slightly. Then I just add paint as I see fit; the first three paintings where for the younger members of the family. I decided that I would paint a piece for my nephews this year, they are 5 and 6. I am not sure what the immediate reaction will be but I think that the lesson should be learned; Christmas is about family and friends, joy not toy. This last Black Friday, I realized that too many people have lost the Christmas spirit. Three people died on Black Friday, greed caused the deaths of three people! So I am painting Christmas, all but one gift I am giving is paintings, joy not toy.

1:00am- Beaten and battered, the Chinese food wearing off. I slept on my couch again; my lounge is heated and my room is not, and I still feel a little sick. I watched the uncut unedited comedian as I fell asleep, Galakinokis (sp). He was over the top, but I could see some risks in his style and I liked the risks.

Lessons learned in the battle of the evening hours-
1) Work after 8pm is still something that I only want to do in stride.
2) Chinese food, the Americanized version anyway, is bad for you and tastes really really really good.
3) There are huge problems in the American Culture. Food to start, the way that we accommodate our whims, and the way that people capitalize on the fact that we accommodate our whims. There were two commercials that made it into every break in the 1am show, Girls Gone Wild: Wildest Bar and Lypozene. Skinny Drunk women getting naked for a t-shirt and a drug that does not ask you to change your diet or routine to help you lose weight; that sums up the state of the American Culture.
4) I need to reupholster my couch soon. It is a sectional couch and the springs are worn out.
5) I have my ups and downs when it comes to the lack of culture in America; I spend hours a day doing nothing and reflecting on nothing but I also paint to show my belief that Christmas has nothing to do with toys.

-NK