74 Should I be concerned that things only load when I turn on my VPN No I grew up under surveillance Baba taught me no matter how sophisticated their technology is In the end, data is still filtered/interpreted by people who don't like their job And people are sometimes tired and incompetent In Saudi I couldn't look up recipes with the word breast No healthy chicken for you It's strange to be living in a time where Saudi is trying to open up and the States is closing up And Egypt is...more of the same, I guess Just sharper class divides, more police-y police state People thrift now and we have vegan milk -- never thought any of that would happen Good morning I saw a line of very excited ants carrying a dead moth under the front door I let them be since they don't live here, they're technically just cleaning up and leaving I knocked out another script yesterday but couldn't finish a second It's okay Spa day and helping Baba with bags and meat-heavy lunch with Tante Z I was tired I kept adding stuff to my Amazon cart in the dark before bed Some people have vision boards, I have "save for later" It gave me interesting dreams I was in the denim jacket I added to my cart And I was ten years older getting a chai latte with oat milk in a cafe in Maadi Maadi is kind of far, when my dissociation became intrusive and I couldn't drive anymore, I stopped going to Maadi It's one of two green places still considered Cairo proper, I have lots of memories under those trees I guess it was the first fancy suburb until the city swallowed it There's one road in particular with a used bookstore and an American style diner that I really loved In my dream, I was there! And I bumped into Eddie and we did our hello weirdo hug He was with Hani and Mina because they're a package in my head And I laughed that it felt like a reunion Eddie's mama is an 80s pop star in Egypt and his uncle is a movie star They wanted him to go into acting because the music scene was dangerous (Because actors/directors/producers are notoriously stable and kind?) I think he liked me because I used to play guitar and sing in school We also both struggled with our Arabic, he adapted faster though Nooow he makes very weird and very Eddie music in Berlin When he comes to Cairo he holds workshops for the tiny music weirdos and it's very cute Hani is a genius poet and filmmaker, he always seemed like the quiet, sensible one but he couldn't have been if he's friends with the other two Maybe because he spoke French? We never had a long chat but sometimes we'd "translate" each others poems He always let me sit in on rehearsals for his plays (he's a very good director) and sketch everybody And he'd save me from Mina's playground flirting (like picking me up and putting me in a set piece/box on the stage and then tilting it over onto another box) Hani was very calm about saving me too, he just sighed and put his clipboard down and kept giving the actors notes as he lowered the box and scooped me out Mina didn't go to our uni, he was in medical school but he was a very talented actor and dancer He was in so many plays and musicals and film projects He was everywhere I have no idea how he did med school and everything else and he was still bubbly ADHD? But God level I think Mina and Hani were church friends too? I have this funny memory of Hani playing satan in this church play, he fell over and cut his arm but stayed in character I think the congregation was wondering why two lesbians, a Syrian and a Mexican were sitting in the back cheering for the devil He stayed in CHARACTER Hani was a pumpkin Mina was a very very very hyper puppy I loved the way he moved Dancer body We were sex buddies for a few years Nooow he's a movie star/doctor and he helps run some kind of medical cultural festival I don't quite understand Hani makes independent films and takes pretty pictures and posts things about Kafka on Instagram They're all still friends which makes me happy I should try to do three scripts today Z wants to go shopping tomorrow, Riri liked my kimono pants suit so we're getting her one I'm saving for my cart/vision board items ONLY NO MORE SHOPPING Unless I see those items for CHEAPER then SOME SHOPPING *fist pounding* |