jamie doom

Some of you, not that there are many of you, have openly wondered what I am up to these days. Well I thought I would go ahead and address all that in one short post, so then we could move on and create some magic.

Part of this post is going to be very Xanga, which I enjoy mocking. I will find it difficult to mock Xanga after this. I have been back to the States about a year now. I am ready to travel again. I plan on leaving this country after the New Year. I will either go back to China, (to Shanghai probably because as Carl pointed out to me the other day: I haven’t lived there yet) or Eastern Europe (which as I pointed out to Carl the other day; has some attractive women) where my sister is currently teaching English in Prague. My sister rules, and before either one of us get married (it’s looking like it will probably be her first) we want to hang out and travel in foreign countries together. She even said she would be interested in moving to China. So what’s better than having a Doom in Shanghai? Having two Dooms there, of course.

Currently reading: Cash by Johnny Cash. Just reading this book makes you feel more manly–not that I need any help (spitting and adjusting my too-tight Wranglers). Reading this book also makes me want to avoid amphetamines, which is too bad because I was really looking for a new drug habit while I was in the States. Seriously, Johnny Cash was an American icon, and he is honest and articulate about his faith as well. I have enjoyed it.

Currently living: By myself in an apartment on Haywood Rd. I live above a bookstore that my parents own, to be more precise. When Jana, my sister, moved to Prague the apartment came open. Since I lived there last, all the rooms have been painted bright colors and the carpet was ripped up, revealing some hardwood floors. All in all, it’s a nice place to live, near several restaurants, a movie store, and a couple of nice Asheville meeting spots. The best part of about the apartment? It’s free. I pay nothing for rent. It’s much easier to pursue my dream of becoming the cream of mediocrity when there is no pesky rent to pay.

Currently listening to: Way too much Nick Drake. When I first moved back from China I read a Nick Drake biography. I find whenever you first return back home and are trying to get your bearings and deal with reverse culture shock reading something light and sweet does the trick. Was it depressing? Let’s just say that for two week after reading that book all my food tasted like the word “angst.” Luckily I was able to wash it down with some sweet nectar called “apathy.” So these days I’m looking for some lighter listening. Good thing I have some Elliott Smith. on deck to cheer me up.

Currently eating Sushi. Nothing makes me feel more alive than the smell and taste of raw fish in my mouth; well, except for filling up my bathtub with raw fish, taking off my socks, and stomping on that squishy goodness, but eating sushi is cheaper, and dare I say less weird. As an aside, I was eating sushi last night at my favorite Japanese restaurant in Asheville, Green Tea, and I struck up a conversation with the sushi chef. It turns out that he was originally from Hong Kong, then he moved to Japan. His father was rather wealthy, so he was able to travel a lot growing up. I told him I had been around China some, and we compared notes. Things were going great until we started talking about Nanjing. As I we were talking about Nanjing, he started looking around and then started whispering about it to me. It was surreal. As I was leaving the Japanese owner of the met me at the door and commented matter-of-factly, “I didn’t care for Nanjing much when I visited.” Sometimes I can be quite smooth, but a majority of the time I have a nack for being incredibally socially clumsy. It’s just not cool to bring up the massacre of Chinese by the Japanese to a Chinese employee of a Japanese restaurant with Japanese bosses hanging about. Either way the Japanese guy was creepy.

Currently writing: A post about basketball in China. I have to admit that I have been reading up on roundball in the East, and I find it fascinating. Hopefully, you will too as soon as I post it.

Currently weighing: Forty pound more than I weighed when I was living in China. I am large at the moment. Fortunately for me, knock on wood, I lose weight and gain weight at an amazing rate. Luther Vandross and Oprah have nothing on me, well maybe Luther since he’s dead. So I just started trying to run again a week or so ago. It hurt me. But it will be worth it when I can fit into my pants again without sucking all the air out of the room. But, ladies, I carry my weight well. Don’t be afraid.

Currently watching: The Charlie Rose show. Yes, the genius of Charlie Rose has been sitting there on public television waiting for me to discover it this whole time. That Charlie Rose is a genius, plus I don’t have cable anymore at my new pad. I do have all my books, my Who box set, all my notebooks, and my crazy ideas about the space-time continuum. After typing that last sentence, I feel like Ted Kaczynski

Just saw: Greg Kummery, my fellow teacher at ZUCC, and the author of Sinobling. He and I met in Atlanta where he was attending the baptism of his niece. Greg, recently just returned from China. He is looking good, and I enjoyed hanging out with him and his fun family. It was nice catching up on all the gossip in Hangzhou, and it really made me want to return. So maybe Greg and I will land back in China around the same time.