Say "Yi Zhang Zhaopianr!"

Every time I sit down to write in this very blog, I feel I should appologize to it or you or myself. "I'm really not dead," I want to say. "I've just been busy," which would be a lie, or "I'm without a computer," not a lie. Sadly, though, I just am not too sure what to tell you, dear readers. I'm mildly frightened that I've become desensitized to China, and therefore I'm missing something.

Here are some weird things to remind myself about, though they don't much faze me anymore.
1. Smog
2. People spit all over the ground or floor. They don't care when/where/who the situation involves. And it isn't a polite little spit. It's a full, double-barrel hocker. Even old ladies who ought to know better.
3. Babies wear crotchless pants. (I've heard about a grown man wearing them, too. I didn't see this, and I'm thankful. I wonder how he spins the potty-training excuse.)
4. No handicap ramps.
5. Pushing the close door button rapidly and without question to the emptiness of the elevator door. Close, door! Also, the pushing of the open door button when the car reaches the floor but before it has stopped. I don't know why they feel this makes the door open faster, but they do it nonetheless.
6. Taxis refuse to take you places because it's
--A. Too far
--B. Too near
--C. The other direction from the way the car is facing at the moment
7. TV is crap. So are any other appliances provided by the school/landlord/building.
8. There are cleaning people constantly mopping. Always mopping with a dirty, nasty mop. I don't think it makes the floor anything other than wet. This happens in the dorm, the school buildings, businesses, restaurants, malls, the subway, basically anywhere people walk. (Side note: You're supposed to take your shoes off when you enter someone's house. But with the mopping, I'm afraid I'll get my socks wet without shoes on.)


In reality, I'm not mad at China about these things. In fact, I don't care one way or the other about them. It's just the little things I've noticed and don't think I'll remember to talk about after much longer.

Tian'anmen Square was amazingly decorated for National Day. I saw all the flowers and such. A Chinese man took my picture with his wife. She was very dressed up, and she somehow reminded me of Lucille Ball, though Chinese and not funny. Maybe it was her hairstyle and makeup. Anyway, it was my first photo-op for just being a big white guy with curly hair in China. Score one for me.

I guess that'll do for now.

T