minimization

Right now I'm sitting outside a Starbucks like I often do.  The reason I come here is because 1) I work at this particular store so I don't usually pay for drinks, and 2) it is within walking distance of home.  I was at home cleaning out my room and the garage, looking for things to sell or donate.  The idea of minimizing what I own is very appealing; it's always been somewhat a romantic fascination of mine but something I've never done well with.  But...

Yesterday I sold one of my guitars.  Now I only have five guitars.  Upon exchanging the guitar for money with the guy I didn't feel anything like I've felt in the past when parting with possession I value.  This time I just felt a slight exhilaration knowing my physical presence here is that much smaller; I owned that much less shit.  One more thing I never have to think about.  I hope to repeat this feeling multiple times and to promote that I have put all but one of my guitars online, as well as a bunch of camera equipment.

new apartment

Things have settled down a bit as we have been able to rent a room from an American couple and quit living out of hotels.  The internet everywhere we have been has been sketchy and I've been unable to log on a VPN and thus, access this blog.  Tons of great interactions and miscommunications have taken place...take place on a daily basis.  I can't spend much on here now because we have to research for a trip we are going to take to Yellow Mountain.

One badass thing about our new place is that it happens to be...on the top floor and thus...we can get on the roof!!  Check it out!

Just chilling on the roof of our new place...no big deal!

More photos and embarrassing stories soon...

Shànghǎi!!

Umm...we've been in Shànghǎi about a week now.  We have been unbelievably fortunate thus far, receiving money from a handful of people before we left; my father paying for a portion of our plane tickets and vaccinations and one of Shawna's uncle giving her money.  Upon arriving a different uncle of Shawna's had a car pick us up from the airport and drive us to the serviced-apartment which he paid for through the 28th of June and just the other day asked us how long we would like him to extend it.

This city is beyond belief, stretching too far to see any hint of its ending.

View from back exit of where we were staying on Hong Mei Lu.

Okay, I wrote this last week and didn't finish it.  So much stuff happened in Shànghǎi; hopefully I can go back through and write more about it.  I will try to be more timely and complete these from now on.

Houston, Chinese Consulate

Sitting at a Starbucks in what must be the gayest district in Houston.  I love it.  We just finished up at the Chinese Consulate, dropping off our passports and paperwork to get visas.  There was a line to the street before the consulate even opened.  We had parked at a nearby shopping center and walked to the consulate, disobeying the "No Chinese Consulate Parking" signs that littered the parking lot.  Don't worry, this story has a happy ending (for me), but not in the sexual sense.

practice

Today I went with along with Andrew to Dallas to run an errand.  After waiting in the office for a while I went outside to take medicine for a blooming headache.  out in the car I picked up one of my books about living in China and started browsing it.  It begins...

"Is China right for you?" was the first sentence of the book's introduction.  I mentioned in of my first entries how I know many things will be hard for me.  According to what I've read about people who will enjoy or adapt to living in China, I am the perfect candidate to not go.  I don't mind people staring much; that happens a lot here with my long hair and rebel-look.  But, "you'll have a rough time if...you have high standards for cleanliness and service"...I really like cleanliness, I would even say if it could be, it would be a hobby of mine.  As much as I try to be laid back (and have even become more laid back over the past few years), poor customer service is irritating.  There have been times I have ended up walking behind the counters at restaurants because I got tired of waiting for refills.  Also, some people call me patient...but others don't, if you know what I means.  Oh yeah, personal space is always a hobby of mine....