Maybe I’m a whiner, but if I remember correctly (and I’m fairly certain that I do), I was that kid in school that no one ever wanted on their gym team.  I was uncoordinated, athletic as a loaf of Wonder bread, and just about as soft.  I didn’t fantasize about boys as much as I … [Read more...]

Long fun day in the sun, climbing the world’s largest arch bridge, eating blueberry ice cream, and just shooting the breeze.  I’ll blog more about the specifics soon, but in the meantime, check out this movie poster for Wolverine.  Still haven’t seen … [Read more...]

When someone asks you the English word for counterfeit money, you know that something’s up.  Which is what happened yesterday morning at the Starbucks counter when I pulled up and flashed some cash.  My money was fine, but apparently some foreign dude had tried to … [Read more...]

I love email, but I regret not receiving as many letters (stamped, in an envelope) anymore.  Of course, I don’t send them all that often, either, but the hand-written note is precious.  Sometimes I have this fantasy of buying an old-fashioned type-writer and … [Read more...]

I still have family in China, and tonight I had dinner in Shanghai with a somewhat distant aunt (my grandmother’s brother’s daughter) and my cousin, Trina (who is her daughter).  I don’t see them often enough, but we had a wonderful time, and my aunt is a … [Read more...]

We were going to drive north to the village where my grandfather was born, but that got sidelined at the last minute.  The day, though, was still wonderful.  Nice leisurely walk and breakfast, thirty frustrating minutes at Best Buy (where we were told by some kids … [Read more...]

I head back to Shanghai in a bit, and won’t be returning to Beijing until my next trip to China (my guess, at the end of summer, or so).  I love Beijing, though.  I find it so much easier to get around, partially because I know the lay of the land better up here … [Read more...]

Yes, friends—in a twist on Where’s Waldo?, today we play Where’s the Bride? There’s a lovely field of wildflowers near here, and on one beautiful Beijing morning I found myself passing by—only to discover that the place was crawling with … [Read more...]

Here’s something else that’s changed in five years:  the Great Wall at Jinshanling. If you want to see the Great Wall—the original wall, the parts that haven’t been rebuilt (because if you go to Badaling, and other more popular locations, … [Read more...]

We didn’t quite make it to Inner Mongolia, but after eighty miles out of Beijing it felt as though we got close (though in reality, we would have had to drive another four hours to reach that area).  Instead, we returned to an old haunt, a place we had visited in 2003, … [Read more...]