Weary Weekend

I cannot believe how glad I am for this weekend to be done. I need to time to recuperate.

Friday was a “normal” evening. It had rained for several days but Friday was a deluge. All the sidewalks were flooded; the lovely water features around the grounds were overflowing. We are in the middle of the rainy season in China; the good part of the rain is that if finally dropped below 80 degrees. Bill had to work late so Derek and I just hung around the house and watched bad TV. Most TV here is BAD TV.

Saturday was better weather wise. Bill, Derek and I were picked up by Brown. Brown, a co-worker of Bill’s, had agreed to take us to purchase a new motorbike (scooter) for us. Brown knows people. He was taking us to a distributor that would get us a better price since we were cutting out the middle man. It is my understanding that we could get an even better price but the scooter was likely stolen. Since I have no desire to see the interior of a Chinese prison, I chose to go with the legal option. Three hours later we are the proud owners of a new Prince. I went with the cobalt blue with a storage box on the back. Bill got them to add an alarm and automatic starter. I can start my bike from the sixth floor. I guess that alarm is a good idea with the active stolen bike market. They also gave us rain gear for all three of our scooters and mirrors for Derek’s scooter.

After driving the scooter back to the apartment and thanking Brown for his assistance. Bill, Derek and I returned to the downtown area for HOTPOT lunch. We went to the street that has bike accessories and bought all of us helmets. Good idea! On to the RT-MART for grocery shopping. Trying to get a taxi back home was not easy. Actually it didn’t happen. We tried but they all kept driving pass. I was beyond done. Occasionally one finds that there are people that don’t want to deal with us westerners. It is not very warm and fuzzy and to be honest….this westerner was ready to start flinging “the bird” freely. Thank God the weather was agreeable since we walked for miles. We ended up at Fugimia (Still not spelled correctly) I bought new shoes for $2.50 and Burger King. Around Fugi is a few million taxis’s so we were able to catch a ride the remainder of the way home.

Nap time. Evening closed out with Bill and I going to Double 7 Club. A great little bar downtown to watch a couple bands. The bands were good and the rum and cokes were iced. We met a number of locals that have been entertaining Bill and it was a good evening. I will explain the locals in more detail at a later date. The bands were really entertaining. I didn’t catch all the names but the main guitar player is “Steve Ray” and he is damn good. Good Music + Good Drinks + Fun People = HANGOVER!

Which leads me into Sunday but that will have to wait for tomorrow. It is Nap Time Again.

We may need an Intervention

I have hit a new low. Probably not my lowest point but definately a new low. I have hit my three weeks here in China and I am jones-ing. Bad!
I know that I am fat and I know that the lack of food choices will be a contributor to my "hopefully" loosing some pounds. That said....
I want chocolate. I want Doritos. I want Taco Bell. I want Welch's Grape Jelly.

I have been to four different grocery stores. RT-Mart, Carefour, Metro and Sougo - all chinese grocery stores that advertise "International Foods". Five stores, if you include, Wal-Mart. Yes, there is an isle or two of foods from Germany, US, Korea, Australia, England and others several others. The American foods have similiar packaging and would lead the consumer to think that they taste just like home. Absolutely. Not.

I have tried the find chinese alternatives. Cookies, chips, soda, bacon, popcorn, salt, pickles. I got nothing. So today in a moment of desperation - I ate a spoonful of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. See Photo. I may need professional help soon.

It was chocolatey. It did taste like Hershey's. It wasn't the same. Why you ask - texture. That is right. Texture. Go to your fridge and grab your Hershey's. We all have it - for ice cream or chocolate milk, to drizzle on our brownies or as a fruit dip or to line our chocolate martini glass or...just take it out and slowly pour it into a spoon. See how slow it cascades from its lovely brown bottle. See how it swirls into the spoon and makes the little rings of chocolate delight. Smell the perfect sugar to cocoa ratio as it fills the spoon. Sorry, was going into chocolate porn mode (shaking my head)....

....my Hershey's is, in one word, RUNNY - like water from a faucet.

Sad part of this tale...I ate it. Sucked it up like a coke addict and I did it again. Someone mail me a Snickers.

Balance Grasshopper....

Easyrider...China Style.
I wake up this morning trying to get the nerve to ride the scooter all by myself. I have rode with Bill but it is time for me to get off the "bitch" seat. I am nearly 40 years old. I haven't rode a bicycle since I was in high school. Three wheeler, four wheeler, jet ski's, snow mobiles. NO problem. My cute two wheeled motorized demon scares the poop out of me...a to increase my dread....riding it in chinese traffic. I walk out on Derek's balcony to hang up laundry and across the way I see the water guy. This man puts 10 to 12 five gallon water tanks on his scooter and delivers them around town. As you can see there is barely room for a person between all the tanks. This is a normal method for deliveries in our town.
I have seen a family of four get from Point A to Point B on one scooter. Propone is delivered by an old man on a scooter 6 to 8 tanks bunged to his scooter as he weaves through crazy traffic all the while sucking on a cigarette. Not exactly an OSHA approved delivery system but they make it work here.
What is my lesson in all this...buck up cowgirl and ride. I convinced Derek to come to the parking garage with me and walk me through getting "Sally" unlocked and started. Yeah, from here forth the scooters name shall be "Sally Scooter". Derek talks me through the basics...brakes (good to know), throttle, horn. What more could a chubby 40 yr. old. american need to know. - Balance.....yeah.
I made Derek sign a confidentiality waiver to never discuss anything he may have witnessed this afternoon. Nor was he permitted to laugh out loud. Don't go asking him for his take on my lesson.
First, scooters are heavier then they appear. Two, fast is easier until you need to stop. Three, Turning is a bitch. Why is it easier to turn to the left than the right. You would think that I am right handed so the right movements would be more natural. NO! I believed I was given the finger by an angry squirrel this afternoon.
That said, I drove the scooter today...all by myself. No training wheels or nothing.

Jaiger Girls at Rothbury

So what do you do when you have over 100 bands playing for four days in an idealic environment?

You hang out the the Jaiger Girls.

Rothbury Festival 2008. In beautiful Rothbury, Michigan was four days of music and art. What does Bill want a picture with the Jaiger girls to send to John and Kathy. It was the end of their shift and they posed for one last photo.

What you don't see is the fourth girl. As the girls were surrounding Bill the one to the left of Bill bumped the missing girls arm and her drink fell to the ground and then splashed right up between her legs.

So John, Kathy, this one is for you.....

Missing My Angel and Company

Let me introduce Angel Marie Maki. My other child. The hardest decision I had to make with moving to China was my babies, Angel, Dobbie and Boudreaux the Cat - where should they go?
Angel is a 14 year old Lab Mix. She was given to us when she was a year old. Angel immediately won my heart with her calm personality. She is a big girl. Weighing in at 85lbs. We have moved her from Michigan to Louisiana to Kentucky and now back in Michigan to stay with my in laws. I know that she is not in the best of shape - old girls hips are a problem but with her medications she gets around just fine.

Our decision was to send her and her buddies to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to stay on the farm. I don't know if she will still be with us when I return but I do know that the farm is a great place for her to live out her final years. Comfortable and I know that my in laws will care for her probably better then I could. I am at ease with my decision but I miss them all so much.

Bill is at work all day and Derek will be going to school in a couple of weeks which leaves me home alone and that will be difficult. Angel was my shadow and my comfort. I miss her so much.

Bill - My Bill

I had it brought to my attention that I have
no pictures of Bill posted. So here is the man that moved me to China.

We have been married for nearly 16 years.

Always an adventure.

This was taken this past Sat. as we strolled around

Confucius Temple. It is that a temple and from what

I can tell it is still used for religious worship. This is one

area that they will not allow us access. I wouldn't want sightseers wondering around my church during worship -

so no biggie.

Great place to spend the day. Anything you want you can find here. Jade, purses, mealworms - I do mean ANYTHING.

On a different note - I have thrown my back out. Not just a

little out but cussing like a sailor out. Just bent over to put the passports away and WHAMMY.....so now I am trying not to move and taking some emergency meds I brought from

the States. THIS SUCKS!