Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Well, I’ve gone and done it. I graduated from Oberlin College. It was a beautiful day. I had played my last gig with the Can Consortium at Illumination the night before. Before that gig I played for the last time with They Might Be Asians at an Asian American parent appreciation night at Third World House. The only thing that dampened the whole experience was the ‘rents having flown in for the occasion. I tried my best to get them to go to Tom’s medical school graduation at Brown on the same day. So I avoided and ignored them as much as possible. I let them know that I didn’t appreciate them being there. They had no right to be there. They paid for my being there, but they had nothing to do with anything I did there. I hope they were livid.


Illumination - Finney Steps, May 24, 1992


I'm not positive this is from the Parent Appreciation gig.

I drove a bunch of people to the airport, including Amina, Diem, and Vikki. Amina is spending the summer in Chicago with a college friend of her mother’s. On the way to the airport, Amina said that if she were to marry anyone, it would be me. Tug, but I also know that she doesn’t plan to marry anyone. I would marry Amina in a second, I know it would work. I don’t think I’ve shed much light on the huge amount of affection between us, even through the tense moments this past semester. The intimacy and familiarity that was Amina made her home to me. Amina is permanently part of my life and nothing in the world can change that.


Taking Diem to the airport. That's Amina's hair as she got in the front seat.


Jenny came by to say goodbye to Amina when she left.


So now I’m in New Jersey spending the month preparing to leave the country for Japan. I still have no idea what I’m doing. Nothing has changed about being in New jersey. My thinking is clouded, I lose all motivation and my mood changes by the half hour. The fight with the ‘rents is no where near ending. My life as a battlefield is in total shambles.