Finally Caught Up On Posts

*I am still updating the blog and photo site for Mom & Dad. I got a little behind because of school, but it's done now. All of the new posts will not show on this page since there are so many, so you will have to use the link under 'previous posts' to get to the one called "New Van." Be sure to check out the new pics on the photo site too (link to the right). There are new ones in the galleries called "Blog Related Photos" and "Other China Photos."--erin*

How High Do Fireworks Go?

That question was answered this evening! I was sitting in the study in the apartment, which is on the 21st floor. I still had the shade up and was minding my own business, trying to get caught up on some reports for work, when all of a sudden there was this bright flash, a loud boom, followed by red fingers of light. Scared the crap out of me! Just about the time I got my heart out of my throat so that I could start breathing again, a second one went off, in green. Ever tried to leap up when you are sitting in a rolling chair on a slick wood floor when you have on socks & your legs are stretched out under the desk? Turns out that for some reason, someone was setting off fireworks right between the apartment buildings. The kind that they had went up about 210-feet, which is exactly to the height of the 21st floor. Seeing fireworks up that close and so personal was an interesting perspective, but I would really wish there would have been some kind of warning. Maybe one of those flyers that they stuffed through the slits in my mailbox gave warning, but since I don't read Chinese . . . oh, well. At least I know that the heart works, the adrenaline gland adrenalines, the wheels on the chair roll, gravity will pull the desk back down to the floor and the bruises on the thighs won't show at work.

A Letter to Erin

*This is letter from Dad that I decided to post. The references may not make sense to everyone, but there is some interesting info included.--erin* Hi Pooh, How are things going for you now. School still so busy or do you have a short break here for Christmas? There are more signs of Christmas here than I expected - people is some of the restaurants wearing Santa hats, the decorations at the hotel, Christmas lights, but it still doesn't feel too Christmas-ie. Mom told me that the store got broken into last night and they lost $35,000 worth of equipment. She also said that they broke the sliding glass cases instead of trying them to see if they were locked. Hope that they catch them. What is the schedule for your visit to Suzhou? How long is the group going to be here? I'd like to take everyone out for a meal and there are several places that we could visit. There is a really good Chinese place where all of the dishes are on display, and you just point to what you want. All of the fish, crab, eel, etc. are live in the tanks, so you can pick your own out too. They have lots of chicken, pork & beef dishes too. Watch out for the one that looks like beef & green beans. They a really peppers and if you are expecting green beans it is a big surprise. They have a deep fried corn dish that is great. The Amazon is a "Latin" restaurant. You have a buffet of more traditional Chinese foods, but then the guys come around with meats on skewers and slice or put them on you plate. They have a live band that is starting to get to know us. There are several more western places in town that we've tried. The Blue Marlin has burgers, steaks, Italian & German. The Drunken Chef is has English Pub food. The Southern Cross has burgers, Italian & Mexican. There is also a little mall area that has a Thai place, a couple of pizza parlors, and Italian & a French restaurant. There is a McDonalds (with the worst Cokes I've ever had), a Pizza Hut and a bunch of KFC's which the Chinese seem to really like. A couple of the places have Dr. Pepper on the menu, but like the French Onion soup at the Maples in Korea, they never have it. I'd also like you to come out to the plant. We can have lunch at the place we do every day. The plant restaurant is not too bad, but we prefer to go across the street to this hole in the wall (and I'm being nice). You pay your 5RMB and then you go back in to the "serving" area and get a plate full of what she has cooked, get your rice and soup, then head for one of the three "dining" rooms. An experience you will never forget. None of us have ever had any problem with the food staying in and it is a side of China that your guide probably won't show you. Just keep the Pepto tabs handy. Attached are the phone numbers for the guys here and our apartment address in Chinese. Just wanted you to have something with you when you came. You never know if you will get sent to Pusan or something. At least you can speak the language some this time. Dad

Saturday Night Flever

Good morning/afternoon/evening, whichever works best for you. Having two days off on the weekend when you are by yourself SUCKS!! At least we all have apartments instead of being trapped in a hotel. As of right now, it is only 3-days, 21-hours and 20-minutes until Mona arrives in Shanghai. Then there is the 45-minutes that it takes to go through customs and the 2-hour drive back to the apartment. I'm sure that after everything she has been doing at the house to get it, the cars and her ready to leave, not to mention the jet lag (figure 1-day per time zone), she'll probably just collapse and veg for the first few days, but I'll be glad to have her here. Jerry & I had dinner at the new Blue Marlin restaurant in our end of town tonight. Totally different than the one in downtown. That one is in an older building, is small and reminiscent of a pub, while this one is much larger, more open and nicer restaurant. Jerry, who is Japanese, was the only Asian in the place, outside of the staff. Quite a turn-around from the norm. Usually it's me that is the one that stands out. The food was tasty and it was kind of nice to hear English/German/Aussie/American conversations going on around us instead of Chinese for a change. One of those things that you don't really think about until you are in that situation. I've noticed that when I go shopping, a lot of people stop and look in my shopping cart. I don't know what they expect to see. Doesn't everyone buy a bucket, a half-gallon of corn oil, 10-pounds of rice, two pair of slippers, a jar of mayonnaise, coffee creamer and a pillow? Speaking of slippers, try finding a pair that you can get a US size 11 foot into - the ladies in the shoe department were trying to be helpful, but they still laughed when I held an extra large up to my shoe and it was about 1-1/2" short. As big as the industrial area in Suzhou is and as many westerners as I see, people still stare. Don't know if it my size, my gray hair, my big red nose or what, but something about me is interesting/funny/frightening. In the store, a little boy was slipping out of the cart, his mom was picking out some veggies and didn't see, so I straightened him back up. He took one look at me and screamed! The mother had seen what I did, smiled, laughed and said shi shi (thanks), but I'm thinking the kid didn't appreciate some big, gray bearded, white guy saving him. Oh well, guess I'm won't be getting that Santa Claus gig! Shopping when you don't have a car is an adventure/pain. I hate to call for our driver to come get me on a weekend. I know that that is part of what they do, but still, it just seems a bit much. So, I stop before I leave the store and repack as much as I can to get things into as few sacks as I can. Then you push the cart out until you reach the barricade, pick up everything and then grab a cab. You want to make sure that you can get it all in one load. Would hate to leave half of the groceries lying down in the garage while I go up to the 21st floor, drop off the first load and go back down for the rest. Did a little exploring in the apartment complex that afternoon. They have a nice little shopping mall with a convenience store, a laundry, barber & beauty shop, fruit & veggie stand, a restaurant and several things that I couldn't figure out as there was no English on the signs. The area is nicely decorated. We have a pond that winds through the courtyard, and several trees. Who in their right mind puts a wire across the walkway to hold up a tree, then puts a dark blue flag on it. In the dark, Jerry almost decapitated himself, but managed to see it before he hit it. Think that I am finally getting the chill out of the walls of the apartment. They are all concrete and about 12" thick and were cold to the touch when I moved in. Now they are just cool. Getting used to the appliances. I have gone around pushing all of the buttons and seeing what they did. Then I wrote it down on a sticky pad and stuck it to the whatever. Lots of little blue sticky pads. The washer/dryer (one machine) is big enough for two pair of jeans and a shirt. I usually run the wash cycle and add in the dryer cycle which takes about 3-hours. The clothes come out hot and really damp. Not wet, but nowhere near dry. The apartment itself is 150-sq. meters (a little over 1600-sq. feet) with three bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining room, kitchen and small, enclosed balcony/clothes drying room. It also has one large and three small AC/heating units, eight remote controls, 38-light switches & 107-light bulbs! The main light in the living room has 32 all by itself. The water heater is solar, and I'm finally getting a handle on it. I make sure that I fill it up in the morning, AFTER my shower. Filling it really drives the temperature down. On a bright sunny day, I've seen the temperature as high as 88C (190F) but it doesn't take a long shower to drain a lot of it off. Erik would not survive! If you shower late at night, don't refill it, or it will be a your morning shower will be "refreshing". Something about the amount of sunlight reflecting off of the moon doesn't seem to do much heating overnight. Note to men with not quite as much hair on the top of their heads as they used to have -- do not turn on both sets of heat lamps when you take a shower. Fitted sheets don't exist in China. Well, maybe somewhere, but I haven't found them yet. For you bed, you get a flat sheet that goes on the bottom, two pillowcases and a sack for your comforter. The bed is 208-cm X 220-cm (81-in by 87-in) and well into the extra firm range. Going to have to try to find a futon type mattress to put under the mattress pad. Speaking of mattresses, I think that it about time for me to use mine and you guys to get out of yours. Later.