a cat has nine lives.
we got one.
let’s be like the cat.
make the best of every situation.
stretch out. relax…like you got nine to go.

rue (ruta graveolens 臭草) — a bitter, aromatic stimulant

The whole herb is used, fresh or dry. It is taken warm to bring on menstruation. The infusion benefits coughs, cramp, and colic. Steep herb in boiling water (cut it up, dry it, whatever). Take no more than one-half cup per day. The fresh eaves are placed on the temples to relieve headache. Fomentations of the tea are placed on the chest to help bronchitis (good for the lungs). The juice or oil is placed in the ear to relieve earaches.

got a 6 hour drive to charlotte ahead of you? who needs coca-cola? make a tea from rue leaves. drink it cold. my mom told me my aunt grace said this plant (stinky grass) was good for the lungs. i heard that, then i picked some leaves, washed them and boiled them. she said you can’t just try anything like that. i looked up the herb in a book she gave me. it was in there. i tried it. it worked great. my dad’s mexican worker said the plant is poisonous. if you take too much it won’t be good for you. but isn’t that true with everything? yeah, pregnant women shouldn’t take this herb, it can cause an abortion.

i just wanna get smart, till i feel like a genius…

it’s been almost two years since i’ve been home. i’m packing and leaving today. wow…what a feeling. i’m nervous. maybe it’s because i haven’t packed yet. maybe it’s because i’m leaving room 415 for three weeks and when i get back to school there’s not much time left. no time to think about it. VB, DC, Jamaica here I come!

I like the alleys (胡同) of Beijing. I like finding my way with a map. I like fitting in where I can. I where my cotton-padded boots (棉鞋) to go along with my cotton-padded jacket (棉襖), I rock a beard and people think I’m from Xinjiang (新疆). I like bicycles. I like the oh so many varieties of bǐng (餅) that there are. I like how almost every day is a sunny day here. I don’t like the dry air but that’s another story.

father and daughter step outside for a game of dodgeball

bicycles in the alley, on the corner w/cotton-padded boots

finding my way through the alleyways of Beijing

in the middle of old beijing, Dongsi (東四), where the legendary 王咪 lives