"thank you nuts" and other musings.

Is it me, or is this week/month/year/decade flyin' by? Holy moly. 

The winds outside are picking up speed and strength and I found myself thinking that it's time for the semi-annual clothing swap, where all my summer/fall clothes get packed away and winter clothes get preference in my small, dorm wardrobe. Say it ain't so!

Life's happenings are keeping up with the swift movement of the calendar. Here are some musings that have no rhyme or reason...

Mushu's obsession with the water machine has passed and his new obsession is my desk top candle that is lit most of the time I am home for an extended period. He sits on my desk staring and occassionally swatting and is even more mesmorized when the candle gets blown out and ceases to exist. I swear my cat is baby Einstein-bred. You can SEE the wheels of his little cat brain turning and thinking. What a smart baby cat booger. Love his furry face. 

kitty genius. 

Chinese lessons with my tutor are going well. Last week I mentioned to my mother that I was contemplating canceling my tutoring sessions because work is so busy that I have to meet at a different time each week and because it pains me to pay over 1/3 my monthly stiped on a 2hr a week class. But I know meeting with her is "working." I feel confident in my spoken Chi.nese fluency and my reading is (slowly, ever so slowly) improving. She's a magic, patient genius. So I'll keep trudging along, shelling out the red 100's like it ain't no thang.

Emma Laoshi. 

It was Michael's 'lunar birthday' a few nights ago, so we had cheesecake on top of our usual pasta dinner at his fave coffee shop. Look closure...what's on top of the cheesecake rounds?...

lunar birthday boy. 

Tomato. Of course. Tomato slices on cheesecake. Chin.ese chef's trying to be "Western" and failing.

that's just wrong. 

Michael's Macbook Air is pimped out 'Merica style. He told me I could get one of these for the low price of $15usd. Ha. Stars and Stripes forever!

Also in this pic, you can see the topics we discussed during dinner. We discussed the meaning of "ew" and "yuck" (in regards to my response to the tomato slices...). We discussed the need to say, "Bless you," after someone sneezes and, "Excuse me," when you sneeze yourself. We discussed the difference in "shipping cost," and "postage," and that the words, "guys," and "chicks," and when it is appropriate to use them. We discussed, "chiropractor," and "dermatologist," and "eczema." All the important stuff.

bone doctor.

Tonight at the hospital was more special than normal because it was the first lesson after the interviews to go to America. I asked my boss to let me know the final decision on who is going (10 out of 30 were chosen). But before she entered the room, I knew who was chosen by the cheesy grins on their faces. I am so proud to say that every one of my students who interviewed was chosen except for one (whose english level is low.) I am a proud momma duck. My baby ducks are flying the nest to the land of milk and honey (southern cali, haha).

It is now my job to make sure they know how to "play it cool," and don't freak out when they hear phrases they don't understand. I am upping the idiom lists and referring more to culture. Tonight's idioms included, "take it up a notch, above and beyond, and tackle an issue." I taught the phrase, "The best things in life are free," and they mis-interpreted "free" to mean "freedom" not 'no money.' I had to explain that I wasn't making a political statement, I was making a economical statement. Ha.

After class, all the people who were chosen to go to the USA wanted to chat. They were strategically waiting for me at different points of my walk to the bus stop. It was funny. One doctor was waiting for me on her e-bike outside the main hospital gate. I was with another doctor when she stopped me and said, "I have thank you nuts." "Excuse me?" I asked. And then she pulled a bag of candied walnuts from her purse and gave it to me. I put those walnuts in my bag with a sense of pride and joy and squeezed her 4 foot 10' self. I'm proud of my doctors and the fact that they think I'm any help at all is funny to me and also humbling. And you know what? Candied walnuts are good!

Good night from Chinaville.




walk slow. xoxo.