Jaws!

This past weekend the Professor, Cowboy, and I house-sat for DC. Well, really, she let us stay at her place for the weekend after our midterms. We ate lots of junk food and watched lots of movies (in English!) and basically did nothing. It was nice. The Professor had something to prove (little man syndrome, methinks), so he kept provoking me to attack him. I had to wrestle him to the floor or bed more times than he'd like to admit. We're both a little sore, and Cowboy is still amused. He just watched, mostly.

During this weekend of slovenliness, Cowboy and I went to Sam's Club. Yes, that Sam's Club. Even in China people like to buy their toilet paper and powdered milk in bulk. We were shopping for groceries and toiletries. Sam's Club cards are international, by the way, and Cowboy's card from Mississippi worked in Beijing. Go figure. So we shopped and shopped. It was traumatic. Sam's sells lots lof live things. Like eels and seaturtles and big happy fish. Well, they're happy until the worker takes them behind the counter and uses all of her 92 pound body to slam the fishes' heads into the floor to kill them. I was tramatized for sure. I just saw a fish in a net, and then I heard a huge thud. Also at China Sam's: sharks. Filleted and still angry about being dead. They were staring at me from the big ice bank. I admit that Sam's is an adventure. It also provides most of the criteria for being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

I got my midterm grades back. They weren't good. I passed, but just barely. I hate that, because I am so used to making good grades. I wish that I could read and write. The speaking part went well. Some moments I really hate school. Speaking of which, my class was ridiculous today. The teacher was going to give us a break and give us a quiz tomorrow on 18/36 words from the new chapter. So the work would be split into two different quizzes instead of one. The students said no. They would rather keep going fast so they can make sure to reach the last chapter on time. So tomorrow we have a quiz on all 36 new words. I was livid, because I'm the one in the class who could maybe maybe learn 18 characters tonight. But 36? No. Not at all. I'll study, to be sure, but I won't learn them all. I can't learn 36 Chinese characters in one night.

Ok, time to stop whining about the fact of my life. Sherman is coming to visit me! Well, actually, probably not, but still, it's pretty cool. I'm excited.

T