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First of all, everyone head over to Alvina's blog post from last night and tell me what you think. Is this true? Have you heard of this?

If you haven't heard of this—as I hadn't, and as my resident Ask Everything Expert has already told me he also hadn't—then let's just contain this right here by not spreading it on. I don't want to start a rumor of a "phenomenon" that isn't. It's too upsetting.

Second, Alvina's story reminded me of a couple incidents from my own life, one of which is quirky and the other which just makes me angry—even now, a couple years later. MAN, it makes me mad!! (I'm not sharing that second one; ask me in person sometime.) (Well, when it comes to angry stories, I have more than just one.)

The quirky:

Once, I was at a gay dance bar (mostly Asian) with a couple friends (hi, Irvin! hi, Karen who is straight like me!) when a (white) (gay??) man went way out of his way to come up and tell me how attractive he found not only me but all Asian people and that this wasn't a fetish at all because he had a best friend who was Malaysian. Then my friends and I watched as this person proceeded to be all over a fairly unattractive Asian drag queen for the rest of the night. I couldn't help but wonder whether the man had mistaken me for a drag queen, too.

Third, me loves "Joy at the Gym" stories! Damon wrote a good one, a little while back, and now Irvin has written a hilarious one, too! I don't know why, but gym stories are great. Click on theirs and check 'em out!

Love,
r

I have so many happy associations with Beyonce's song "Crazy in Love" (track 1 on Dangerously in Love). They just keep building up, to the point where I can now play this song on repeat and work out to it for 30 minutes at a time, three times a week, and never get tired.

I just keep getting more charged.

All my happy memories replay, too, every time the song starts over. I run through them all again. (Literally!) 

That's because this song's ridiculous, over-the-top intro always makes me think of my brother's wedding. Michael and Hanh entered their reception to this song, with Damon pumping up the crowd and really hyping up their intro—doing the world's greatest job as wedding emcee ever.

All my femme fatale cousins were rolling at my table, just from Damon ending in the phrase, "Give it up, for Michael and HANHHHHHH!!!"

Damon's stepmother laughed on one side of the room, and Damon's mom rolled her eyes on another, and toward the center, my aunts gushed to my mother, "Why, Damon's a perfect emcee!"

Then my brother and Hanh came dancing in. Rockin'. Lookin'  sweet. Gettin' down. While I ran up and took pictures.


Damon and I had suggested this song to Michael and Hanh the night before for exactly this purpose, which also makes me happy. We had a final details meeting where we learned my mom had been worrying Damon wouldn't make as "fun" and "loud" an emcee as a hired professional.

We showed her!!

She raved about what a good job Damon did, after.

But we stole this idea from Derek and Polly, who entered their reception to the same song two months earlier. So then I always think about how crazy Derek and Polly are, and how they had the two crazy emcees that got 300 Asian people up, old and young, on their feet all night.

I took some awesome pictures that night.

Then I think about how I danced my @$$ off to this song at my college's ten-year reunion earlier this summer, when this song came on toward the end of that dance. I felt so happy and carefree at that point, having gone back in time with all my old friends, this song pushed me over. And people took notice, after. 

Then I think about how the same thing happened again, at the SCBWI conference, toward the end of that night, too! Just this past August. The dance was winding down, this song came on, and I went nuts again!

That time I was on a stage.

By the time I've daydreamed my way through all these great parties (groovin' side to side and practically falling off my elliptical), the song starts over.

What a great song to enter a reception to. Michael and Hanh rocked their entrance. Hanh's dress looked amazing. Damon's stepmom cracked up. My cousins rolled out of their chairs! I can hear Damon's Barnum & Bailey routine now.

But we stole that idea from Derek and Polly . . .



When this song came out three years ago, I thought it was "fun at clubs."

Now I love it.

r


Actually, the first three songs make an awesome workout block. But at this point, all I need is Track 1.

This morning at the gym, I was on a Precor elliptical machine when I saw this woman standing outside, on her cell phone, suddenly throw one arm into the air, throw back her head, and spin in circles. Cheering into the sky.

There were several layers of sound between me and her: the earbuds attached to my CD player, the solid wall of window in front of me, the distance across a large fountain/pool to that sidewalk. I had no idea what good news she'd just received.

The woman walked off dizzily—out of my field of view—still chatting away.

I realized my legs had started going faster, just from having seen her.

:D
r