Sorry Excuse for a Blogger

I really meant to post sooner, but I got caught up in the whole Christmas season (ie. eating and drinking lots). In addition, my computer, which has been slowly breaking down for a couple years, refuses to recognize the internet connection in my apartment, meaning I have to come to my (unheated) office to go online. Needless to say, my blog may become even more sporadic. What's more, I am hopelessly tech-un-savy, and I can't get any of my pictures to load onto this computer. So while I was going to treat you all to the tale of my Christmas adventures, it will have to wait until I can get my visual aids to work.

In more positive news, tonight I'll be ringing in 2008 China-style. No word yet on what that means, but I'm sure it will include (lots of) baijiu. My TV interview will also air tonight at 11:50 pm, so hopefully no one will be at home to watch.

Happy Birthday to my mom who turned an unspecified youthful age December 30th and is now officially engaged to a wonderful man. Congratulations to the both of them and Happy New Year to the rest of you! 新年快乐!

Obligatiory Political Rant

To be honest, I'm not really in the ranting mood, but I suggest you read this article about America's continued "War on Drugs".

To promulgate more of my personal ideology (just in time for the holiday season), I'd like to recommend this website where you can find locally produced foods in your area. Good for local farmers, the environment, and your conscience (which will make it taste better too)!

Check back tomorrow for more about the Christmas season in Xi'an, attempts at festivity and my apparent mission to spread Christmas cheer.

Too Much Recycling is a Bad Thing

A few weeks ago, I came across this article. It tells that certain ingenious entrepreneurs in China have been recycling used condoms into colorful hair bands resulting in a much cheaper product than the traditional methods. I forwarded the article to a few other foreign teachers in China, and we all had a good laugh. China's recycling system is above and beyond anything found in the States. Every trash bag is sorted to remove all plastics, papers, metals, and... condoms?

Today, while shopping for some Christmas gifts in an open market, I spotted a package of hair bands that looked suspiciously like those pictured in the online article.


My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to buy them. When I got home, I took one of the hair ties and unwrapped the thread only to find this:


A further internet search revealed that "local entertainment venues" may contribute a large number of the condoms.
Gross.

I'm Much Too Turtle-y for the Turtle Club

The day after I got Doudou, it dawned on me that her cantankerous attitude may be due to the fact she was lonely. The turtle man did advise that two turtles were best, one male and one female, so that they could entertain each other or something. So I went back to the road-side stall and picked out a small male turtle and named him 小绿 (Xiao Lu or Little Green). Since then, Doudou and Xiao Lu have been getting along smashingly as evidenced by the picture below.

They're kissing! Okay, so they didn't do that themselves, but they have taken to sleeping in close contact. The other night I came home to find them holding hands, and yesterday I caught this moment on camera:

Doudou likes to be on top.

The Newest Member of the Family

Say hello to 豆豆! (pronounced do do, or just Beans)

She's not much bigger than my big toe and amazingly cute, despite her consistent grouchiness. When I asked the pet shop man (or more accurately, the guy who was selling plants, coffee mugs, and turtles at the side of the road) how long she would live, he answered "If you don't feed it, they can live up to a month." Don't worry, I plan on feeding her. I even bought some little turtle pellets, although Lily assured me that turtles can also live on rice.

Weekend Update

I'm still alive and as busy as ever.

The semester is starting to wind down which means exams to plan and plenty of things to grade. Three of my classes will finish in two weeks, and the other two will finish a couple weeks after that. Then, it's vacation! For a month! My plans are still up in the air (way, way up), but they'll definitely involve some warm weather. I'm thinking SE Asia, but I also hope to visit the family in Shanghai.

I had a very nice Thanksgiving here halfway across the world. I had to teach on Thursday, so we decided to celebrate on the Tuesday before. We had a pretty decent group, a few of the other foreign teachers at NPU and some other foreign and Chinese friends. There were only three Americans there, so it was really just an excuse to get together and eat massive amounts of food. We went to a restaurant that serves duck in the Beijing style (Peking duck), which is one of my favorite foods. We also wanted to keep in the whole roast bird theme for the holiday (no turkey in China). We ordered two whole ducks and some other dishes similar to traditional Thanksgiving foods (fried green beans, potatoes, something involving corn and pumpkin, and duck gut sandwiches-a Thanksgiving first!) The food was amazing, and the company was almost as good.

Here is Lily, our Chinese friend, with Ali in the traditional Scottish Thanksgiving dress.

In other news, I'll be on Chinese television sometime in the next few weeks to discuss how Americans give gifts. Random, I know. I'll let you all know how it goes. And yes, I'm getting a copy on DVD for us to watch later and laugh at.

Happy Birthday to my brother Jeremy who turned 27 on November 24th. He is now officially a grown up in my eyes.