My Misery Is So Addictive

Ever since I read The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, I've secretly kind of wished that my name was Alma. For one thing, Amanda is an extremely common name, especially among Asian Americans such as myself. Second, I've always kind of felt that my name was chosen as merely the complement to a pair, as if my sister and I were meant to be matching salt and pepper shakers. I can't be so cynical though, since the meaning of the name "Amanda" is translated to "she who must be loved", which has been an image of myself my entire life. My Chinese zodiac, the Horse, is described as needing people. In the words of Chromeo, I'm a needy girl. Alma, on the other hand, translates to "nurturer", which is a fitting name for a character in a book that basically inspires the discovery of love.

I dreamt that two recent acquaintances of mine were the main characters of the book, and that I kept them apart.

Tegan and Sara - Arrow

Some links to short stories by Nicole Krauss:

- Future Emergencies

- The Last Words on Earth

- From the desk of Daniel Varsky