work, sunshine, NK's, tofu.

I'm having one of those, "This is not real life," days. 

I've spent the last 3 hours at my computer switching back and forth between wanting to reach through the computer and punch a student, and wanting to call some and tell them I love them and am so proud. 

I'm slow going on inputting their grades (the semester ends in 3 weeks) and some of them have their panties in a wad. It's funny how a student who flies below the radar and is invisible all semester suddenly emails every two seconds over 5 missing points at the eleventh hour. I need to work on not being so sassy in my work emails. I told someone today that inputting their late grade was, "not on my list of urgent things to do." 

haha. Four years in Chi.na have made me a merciless monster. 

I had all this time to play catch-up on my work because my teacher-less class was cancelled this afternoon. I had the wherewithall to text a classmate before lugging myself across town to find an empty classroom again. My classmate responded our teacher is, "too busy to take class." This means that with all the hullabaloo of the year, I will finish with a whopping 9 credits. After an entire year. What a joke. 

An hour ago, while I slaved away at my laptop, hunch-backed and caffeinated, my door slung open and my American neighbor, Mike, came barreling towards me in a sweaty ball of excitement. "I got the deal! I need a hug!" 

Mike is a genius when it comes to hustling in the import/export world. We live about an hour from the city where practically every cheap piece of junk in the world is made, Yiwu. Mike takes regular trips there looking at products in the markets and thinking of ideas of how to get businesses in America to buy the two cent junk. Well, he's struck gold, apparently.

He had been talking about these plastic bag water bottles for a few weeks and has just heard that the Red Sox and Yankees want 10,000 each. That's an export home run. 

I gave him a congratulatory squeeze and he ran out of my room just as quickly as he came charging in.

I turned back to my computer and made eye contact with Mushu who was woken up from his nap on my desk, "Where the heck are we?"I asked him. Then realized I was talking to my cat again and got back to work, thinking to myself that I am so happy to be able to see all these sides of Chi.na and business in Chi.na. I'm happy for Mike. 

In other news, it's sunny and 85degrees...my 'hood...

The NK's made the most of our great weather and drank all weekend in the dorm common area, which I was happy for so I could do my laundry without them making creepy faces at me while I wash my undergarments in the public tub. (sidenote: I think eight North Koreans could fit inside one of my size L Hanes.) 

Another weekend source of excitement was editing a paper that will make its way back to Kim Il Sung University. The NK's are mostly teachers at the university who come here to take Chi.nese, engineering and science classes and then take their knowledge back to the motherland. I kind of got giddy about holding a paper that would be turned into someone in North Korea. That's cool. (my idea of "cool" is a little unconventional). I thought about writing my email on it and seeing if anyone contacted me, but then decided against it. I have my own cranky American students to deal with. 

Vegetarianism/training is going well. I found this great snack - shrink wrapped soy sauce dried tofu. SO GOOD. I eat the whole package in one sitting (hmmmm....portion problems?). This is the reason my salt intake has quadrupled in the past week. My protein is on par, but sodium is through the roof thanks to this lucious stuff...(oh well, can't win it all)...

While we are (I am?) talking about food, I have had a realization the past few days. I have SO MUCH ENERGY. Like, so much. I have to run or else my energy is too much to handle - like my insides are jumping around. This eating clean thing is legit. When you fuel your body with good energy, you have energy. It's easy science.

My posts have become so random and weird. Reflective of my life.


Ok, my work break is over.
Catch ya later if my students don't mutiny their turdfaced teacher.




walk slow. xoxo.