Easter pictures

April 15th

The significance of this date has nothing to do with taxes for those of us who live in the Blue City. No my friends, today is significant because today is the day our heat turns off. It's been on since October 15th, but today it's time to say good-bye.
In years past, I have dreaded this day as temperatures outside were still cold enough to need the heating, but this year I'm ok to see it go. I'm sure we'll have another cool/cold spell or two, but I think winter is officially behind us now.
This winter was not as bad as any of the others that I experienced here. Al Gore really is right. And in honor of climate change, global warming, our heat being turned off and feeling ok about it, and Earth Day, some of us are watching An Inconvenient Truth tonight.

While I'm on the subject of the changing seasons, I have something else to say. I hate being cold. That's why I hate the winter here. But, there are some negative aspects of the warm weather also. First, spring brings the sandstorms. We've only had one so far, but more are likely. I'm from Oklahoma, so I can handle the wind, but when it's windy in Oklahoma, it's just wind...not trash and sand and other stuff blowing around too. And I'm normally in a car and not on a bike. I guess I should be thankful for the good opportunity to exercise as I attempt to ride my bike into the wind.
The other thing about temperatures above freezing means that things begin to thaw. Water I'm fine with. Sewage...that's another thing. One positive thing I will say about Old Man Winter is that when it's freezing (or below freezing) outside the stuff that normally smells disgusting is completely frozen for a good 5-6 months. Well, all that stuff has begun thawing in recent days. Spring is in the air.

stress

The next two weeks at work will be my most stressful. I'm in charge of creating, administering, grading, and preparing training for our yearly English test for the hotel staff. The responsibility is compounded by the fact that their score on this test determines if they get a bonus on their paycheck every month or not...and it's all decided by me.
My parents are moving out of the house we've lived in for 16 years. With the exception of the 3 suticases of belongings I have here, all the possessions I've accumulated over 16 years (actually, some are even older than that) are also in the house. I have to decide from this side of the world what I want done with my stuff...leave it in Oklahoma somewhere or let them move it to Connecticut with them. And now I also have to learn how to say "Connecticut" in Chinese. My sister and her husband recently moved from NY to CT, but I've just been referring to it as "a state next to New York." Now that everyone in my family lives there, I should probably just learn it.
A few weeks back I registed to take the HSK, the standardized profieciency test for Chinese. I thought the test was at the end of May. I found out on Wednesday it's really on April 22. That means I have exactly one week from today to make sure I can read and use about 2500 Chinese characters.

I am such a jerk

After work today I met an American friend to deliver something to her. We were standing on the sidewalk talking. Well, I was talking and she was patiently listening to me vent about why I was frustrated with the hotel today (that could be a post all its own). So we're chatting and this very cute elderly man approaches us and asks where we're from, what we're doing in the city, how long we've been here...all the usual questions. He has one headphone in with a wire reaching to his shirt pocket. I'm thinking...what a trendy little guy walking around town listening to an mp3 player. So I ask him, "Sir, what music are you listening to?" This is where it becomes one of those moments where you want to reverse time and take back the words that just fell out of your mouth. "This thing," he asks? This is my hearing aid." I already feel bad but it gets worse...."I lost my hearing in the Cultural Revolution and suffered a lot of other injuries to my body as well." Now I realize that I am indeed the most insensitive person on the face of the planet. He takes it out, shows it to us and tells us how it works. And also tells us how China had to go through such a hard time in history to be able to develop to where it is today. Then he put it back in his pocket, thanked us for talking with him and went on his way. He didn't seem offended, but I felt like an idiot. I mean, what 77 year old Chinese man walks around with an mp3 player? It was a lesson in thinking before I speak and it had the added bonus of learning a little more about China's history and the nice gentleman.

an outing

A couple weeks back some friends and I got somewhat out of the city. We rode our bikes out to the mountains to our north, climbed up, had a picnic, and came back home just in time for our aftenoon meeting. It was too smoggy/foggy/couldy to see the city well but it was nice to get out even if it was only for a few hours.

so much to say

I'm still here. It's my lousy internet connection that has prevented me from posting lately. I have a few posts all ready to go, but when I'm finally able to post them they're not timely, funny, or insightful. They probably weren't any of those things in the first place.
I'll try to call China telecom and see what's up. Until then, I hope you are having a most meaningful Holy Week.