Thursday, March 21, 2002
Patrick and I both woke up around 3:00 A.M. this morning. I went to sleep around 8 last night and had had my usual 7 hours of sleep. I started reading Taraborrelli's biography of Madonna. Patrick had read it right when it came out, and when I wanted a book to read on MUNI, nothing else on our shelf looked as interesting. I got to page 19 and his writing makes me cringe. Not only is it plainly obvious that he's making things up to paint a certain picture, but he also writes like television reports the news: provide a summary statement, then immediately provide a quote (or video) to back up that assertion. Since college I have realized how simple-minded this style is, and evidence of this so early in Taraborrelli's first chapter sets my (low) expectations for the rest of the book. Lunch with Joel at Beijing on Irving. I had the house special chow mein (delicious). Joel had the kung pao chicken, but he ate hardly any of it, having grown accustomed to the same dish made by a nearby competitor. "The kung pao chicken at Nan King Road is fab—u—lous." Leftovers for dinner. I went to sleep at 8. Patrick stayed up and wrote.