Xiamen Vacation, Part Two
Then I went to check into Desti Youth Park Hostel. There was some sort of mess-up with my reservation, which was a mystery to me. The hostel said I had two rooms reserved. However, I’d received an email which said my reservation had been cancelled. I worked with a staff member trying to log into…
Xiamen Vacation All I Ever Wanted
So a couple days ago I took a brief trip to Xiamen. Someone who has a gelato and coffee shop invited me to check it out, and so I did. I also wanted to go to an amusement park that I’d never been to, and the next day, well, I wasn’t sure about that. But…
Return to Kuliang
This is my third trip to Kuliang Resort. It’s on the east side of Fuzhou, up in the mountains. Missionaries and college profs got places up there because it really is very, very pleasant. Not just because of the scenery, but the temperature. It’s about ten degrees cooler up there, and the breezes make it…
My Ambivalent Feelings about Madonna
Madonna is 68 years old today. I wasn’t always a fan. When I first heard about her in 1984, I thought she was a slut. I didn’t like the way she dressed and the overt sexuality. I’m fucked up, so my views about sex and sexuality are a bit different from other people. I know…
Boogie Nights Review, Part Two
The 1980s is when it turns. First off, Horner is reluctant to embrace VHS, but its invention means film is out. He meets with executive Floyd Gondolli at his New Year’s party, who brought along a group of barely legal youngsters he proclaims are “the real people in the world.” They are amateurs, which Floyd…
Good News and Bad News
Today I went swimming. The pool was less croweded and it was nice and relaxing to swim and do 36 lengths of the pool. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I was kicked three times.
Boogie Nights Review, Part One
I bought Boogie Nights on Google Play several weeks ago and after I got it, I was watching it on repeat. Not sure why exactly, but it was comforting. It’s a great movie. Some people are turned off by the subject matter, the “glory days of the porn industry” which was in the late 1970s.…
French Cuisine in Fuzhou!
It’s not every day I go to the print shop and meet the owner of a Michelin One Star French restaurant. But that’s what happened today. Review coming, just not soon.
An Online Library, and it’s FREE!
I took some books with me to China, have purchased books while in China, but I’m trying not to spend money or clutter up my place even more. A decades-long search for a favorite book from my teen years ended here in China. I went on Facebook to one of my groups, and said I…
A Glass Half Full, a Glass Half Empty Kind of Day
Today was a glass half full, glass half empty kind of day. My glasses broke. I haven’t had them for a month and both sidepieces broke. I went to the eyeglass place to get another pair, but they didn’t have a duplicate pair of those glasses. I hate buying glasses because the frames are so…
And Windy Has Stormy Eyes…
Yesterday, the wind kicked up and then unleashed a hell of a rainstorm. No thunder that I could hear, no lightning, just wind and rain. It was one of those days you’re glad to be inside with either a good book or lots of videos to watch. But it did clear up and I walked…
Sad China Horse for the Win!
So I went back to Fuzhou Zoo because I didn’t get to see everything. And I’m glad I went back. I don’t usually stop to buy souvenirs, but I noticed one of the stalls had Sad China Horse, the viral Chinese New Year sensation. I’m not a smiler. So for me, the Sad China Horse…
Finally Finished Tweaking My Resume
It took hours, but I think I’m finally done tweaking my resume. Just need to look it over once again.
Went Swimming Today…
And I did 36 lengths of the pool. I took breaks every 12 laps or so, but I’m proud that I can still do this.
Going to the Zoo!
I haven’t been to a zoo in years, so I went to Fuzhou Zoo today. I saw almost everything, and I’m going to go back to see what I missed (big cats/elephants). The zoo is really pretty, but not exactly wheelchair friendly. I saw some elevators, but it seemed like quite a few exhibits you…
Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Yeah, I know. I’m late to the party. But this was one of the DVDS I thought I’d get around to watching years ago. During Covid, I had a chance to get a bunch of DVDs for basically free. I insisted on giving the couple who were moving back to France $14 USD to take…
I Miss You, Dad
Twenty-six years ago today, my father died. Nothing prepares you for that, even though I knew it was coming. I remember being afraid when he died. Even though he couldn’t have possibly fended off an attacker, he had lived in the living room for months. Not having him there was scary. We went to Applebee’s…
Kitchen Clean
Anyone else do a deep cleaning of the kitchen, then not want to cook anything because the kitchen looks so nice? Now you know how I spent my Saturday night.
Going to the Dentist in China
I went to the dentist today. I hadn’t been in years. I don’t enjoy going to the dentist, but it’s not for the usual reasons. My mouth isn’t very big, so it’s uncomfortable. Secondly, I take really good care of my teeth. Back in the day, dad dropped a few thousand on my braces. Probably…
Thanks for the Warning
Someone I haven’t spoken to in years sent me a Facebook message warning me about my house being in the county delinquent tax sale. I thought it might be a scam, so I didn’t click on the link. Instead I went through an alternative route. Saw the listing for someone with my name, but the…
An Unexamined Life IS Worth Living
I haven’t been posting a lot recently. Things have been going pretty well for me. Which makes me wonder. I think part of how I cope is that I share, or rather overshare, way too much. Trauma dumping, I think they call it. But I’m on summer vacation, or holiday as they call it here.…
2026 FIFA World Cup!
Well, watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals wasn’t on my bingo card for this year, but I did it. I was sort of half-assedly following who was doing well. But I hadn’t really watched any of the games. The Jumbotron screen on the mall on the corner was showing games, but I wasn’t really…
Captain Underpants? No, Flying Underpants!
Here in China, people hang up their washing on their balconies. The Chinese like the smell of laundry being dried outside. It brought me back to summer days when my mom used to wash my sheets and hang them up outside. She thought it was a big deal. I didn’t, but I’m older now. I’ve…
Never a Dull Moment…
Except it’s nothing that I feel like talking about. These test answers made me smile. Question: Who wound up winning “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson? Answer: The one who was picked. Question: What do we call the smell of rain? Answer: Wet.
Ah, the Internet…
I just hate it when I have an internet connectivity problem that is baffling. My list of networks came up, all of them within range except my own. A colleague came over with a spare router. It seemed to work with Bing, but not with any other browser and not with my you know what.…
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No Way! Laowai! 