I've been tagged!

Ok, it's time for my meme. I have a max of two a year, and Cindy just tagged me for one.

Here are the rules:

• Answer at least three of the questions. Yes, I know a few look time-consuming and there are several of them. That's why I only ask for three. See?



• Post them and the rules on your blog, and please link back to here.



• Comment here telling me and the rest of our little party where you're at and link to yourself.That's all!*



• Oh yeah, don't forget to tag others!

What's the last book you read that you thought was really super, inspiring, you'd recommend it to most anyone? The Kite Runner. The book, not the movie. The movie is ok. The book is fabulous.


What food totally grosses you out, you'd never be able to touch it? Ew. Gag. *hurl* Stuff with eyeballs. Or innards.

Did you ever watch a scary movie that frightened you so much you were afraid of the dark afterward? I mean like you're lying in bed trying to sleep, but you have to pee, but you're scared to get up. It doesn't have to be recently; could be when you were a kid. So what movie was it? Thankfully, I am really nearsighted, and learned at a young age to peer over the top of my glasses. In adulthood, I won't watch movies with a Satanic slant, because in my mind, they are theoretically possible.

Is there a song that makes you dance every time you hear it? Would you tap you feet and sing along to it in public? Just about anything by the Cure does that. Or Eurythmics' "There Must be an Angel".

Do you have any? Tell us! Do you think they're gross? TELL US! Yes. Self-inflicted in about 1974, the size of a dime. Thinking about getting one for my next milestone birthday.

When's the last time you laughed so hard your ribs ached and/or you nearly peed yourself? That's a frequent occurence in my world, but I would have to say "Benny Lava" on Youtube did it.


Draw or doodle a picture of your pet(s) and post it if possible. Nothing fancy, don't be shy! The Suggylicious one posed for her close-up



Go through a stack or box of your old music. Stuff that you may not have heard in years. Pick one and tell us about it. Is it as good (or as bad) as you remember? I think as good. It's Gianna Nannini from about 1988. If you want to see BAD, try this Sinitta medley from the 80s. She had a career when she dated Simon Cowell. The relationship ended and so did her career. Imagine that.

So I'll tag Libby, Suzann, and Ghislane, because she tagged me last year and I wasn't playing at the time.

Yipe yipe yipe!!!

I'm worried that the State of Texas screwed the pooch on the FLDS Eldorado case. There was a two hour expose on the tube tonight, and it raised more questions than it answered. For example-

-Why did they scatter the children throughout the state and separate them from their mothers and siblings? Why NOT just kick the men out of the compound? That would make sense, but part of me suspects that perhaps Child Protective Services needs the extra manpower funding. I'm worried that they've snatched the kids away and NOT done their homework; they'll be sued, and we will have to foot that bill. I am practically betting on that, thanks.

-I know that there is a big hue and cry about young girls and underaged sex. The law used to say you could get married in this state at 14 as long as you had parental consent; I believe the current marriageable age is 16 with consent. (Like a FLDS parent would refuse.) That's not as strong a foothold as anyone might think.

-School-I thought they had to go or be schooled to a minimum standard in this state. So why isn't anyone looking at THAT? That might actually work, you know.

-Food stamps-I got pissed when I found out that since polygamy is not recognized as marriage, most of the women are considered single mothers, and they are eligible for public assistance. That pisses me off. THAT we need to fix.

-No one's been arrested. Has anyone actually done anything illegal (aside from polygamy, legal welfare fraud of sorts, and not educating to the state's minimum)?

There are no do-overs on this one. As much as I dislike some of the sect's practices, I am worried that the court will have to let everyone go. Al Capone went to jail for tax fraud. Texas needs to keep that in mind.

Tuning up the banjos to play Deliverance

It's a wonder we all have our damned teeth. I just got back from my brother's wedding in Phoenix. His third, her second. She apparently decided to let her high school aged daughters pick out the attendant dresses. They looked really silly next to the white linen hula style shirts the guys wore.

Above, you see all the subsequent generations of our family. Fred's girls in the taffeta, and mine in prints. What you can't see...the gorgeous brunette in the center of the photo has a brand new tattoo the size of half an orange on her shoulder-it matches her dress. (It's the stylized wisteria wreath in my header, my mom's family crest) Her sister (left) has a new one going down her spine...it says "twin" in Chinese. My little brother got one too; he also got my mom's wreath on his back, slightly bigger than Nessie's.

Me? No tattoo, but it's something to think about. I made a wisteria wreath to take to the cemetary, so I gave everyone the idea. Guh-reat.

A little love-

Cindy (from Baxter Knits, in my sidebar) pops in every so often, and I pop in at her blog every so often too. Now, she's never said anything to ME about this, but I did notice this picture in her sidebar. Wow, really? How can you NOT shout from the rooftops every time you see THAT?

Not that I wanna be a suck up or anything, but I was in Hobby Lobby the other day. I noticed it, saw her name, and smiled! Figured I'd show her some love. This is a pretty good sock book. Couple of toes, couple of heels, 2 circs, 1 circ. You could totally gift this book, needles and yarn.

Last week, I hit upon a sale on Hanne Falkenberg's Mermaid, so I snagged it. The good news? It was 125.00 and included all the yarn. The bad news? Coral, orange and tomato red. Which, on paper, sounded possible, if a bit dicey. Well it came in yesterday (and DH was HOME after a doctor visit) and it is a great kit, but the colors aren't for me. I have to replace at least one of them. The tomato red is almost rust, so I have to replace it or the orange (two balls of either color). Or maybe both. It's a nice sheepy wool (2/9) and I think this will be fun, but I really must turn down the warmth somewhere.

I have to go to Phoenix for the wedding from hell tomorrow. My older brother is getting married Saturday. It's his third wife. They are making my 23 year old nieces wear taffetta. (eyes cross, makes gagging face.)

Tyarnasaurus Bets!

Most people's armspan is equal to their height. I thought this was a wive's tale, but no, some doctors studied it. I checked mine once for the hell of it. Mine is significantly (about 3") shorter!

Anyhow, DH took me golfing, and made fun of my swing. He said I golfed like Tyrannosaurus Rex! I poked him in the kidneys and ran off to get my knitting. I held up my hands to show him how well T-Rex could knit! He started laughing REALLY hard!

Physiologically, I am REALLY WELL SUITED to knitting.

Cheers to Ghislaine for making my new avatar!

Stick a fork in 'em!

Holy schmoly! They all hatched at once! As un-worldly, un-fun, un-anything as it may be, do I just buy gas cards? I think that's what I am going to do-50.00 gas cards all around. Sounds like more than it is, really, but 50 bucks is, at the end of it all, 50 bucks.

If one of these is my godson's sibling, can I drop 50 on sibling this year, and 100 on him next year? Oh torture! I need gift-iquitte for grads! Help!

Weird though. I remember Bri's mom coming on a trip to Brindisi with me. "I'm pregnant, Bets!" I made a blankie for Sam when Sam was in the oven!! And why do all these girls have BOY names??

Fun stuff for Friday

It's TOTALLY Melanie's fault. This video was mentioned on Ravelry's MCY thread. She mentioned it on her blog, and I started giggling and can't stop.



Please God, make my hair sizzle when I toss it over my shoulder. For THAT, I would even vote the entire Democratic ticket.

Why do you have to turn off Food Network?

I beg your indulgence for just a few days more. I am coming to the end of a project which must not be named. It's been harrasstabating (a funny little word I picked up on Ravelry). Soon, I will be back to knitting hijinks.

While slogging thru this THING, I have, of course, been watching a lot of TV. I've been watching a lot of Ni Hao, Kai-lan (I can count to 3 in Mandarin!!) and reruns of this and that. The other day, Bobby Flay's challenge was the Puffy Taco Throwdown in San Antonio. I watched for a bit, remembering how the food section of the paper excitedly covered the filming two summers ago. I watched for a little bit longer, and then I realized Diana Barrios Trevino was Diana Barrios Trevino. And the little abuelita standing next to her was Viola Barrios.

The camera panned over the family and their bustling restaurant business Viola started many years ago. Then, I had to change the channel. Viola Barrios was killed in her home just a few weeks ago by a stupid punk neighbor kid during a robbery. The crime rocked the city.

Read some of the recipes from Los Barrios here.

591.69

In December, we stopped smoking. I quit on the day after Christmas, DH, about a week or so before. We did it with Chantix.

Taxes played a role in my decision to quit. I suspected they were quite high. Single packs of cigarrettes average between 4.29-4.99 at my local Stop&Rob, and come it at 39.00-49.00 per carton. When I went to China, I looked at the Marlboro ads in Duty Free.

$27.00.

I was tired of bearing the burden of everyone's failed school budget, but no smoker really wants to quit. The impulse is woven like burrs into a dog's coat-after a few years, smokers are enmeshed.

Chantix changed all of that. I felt a reduced urge to smoke with the very first pill I took. But I also felt something else.

I was despondent. Once I figured out that Chantix blocked all my happy receptors, I checked with another Chantix taker. She reported that at her house "they were afraid of me". Oh! Well, ok. I don't think this drug will be on the market too long. But, since it actually worked, I knew that I had to do my part. DH and I both quit. Concurrently.

And no one died, tho we did have to buy bigger pants. That 591.69? That's my saving since the beginning of the year. TRIPLE it for the household savings. This year, that will amount to over 5300.00. That's a lot.

Wonder if they'll decide to tax beer now.

What the hell is WRONG with people??

I shop by mail a lot. So often, in fact, that if there is a way to get it wrong, someone will do it on my order. Do you remember these little darlings? I ordered them earlier in the month. Let's just say I cancelled a very large order from Smartbargains.com because of their blind inability to process and ship an order. I've reordered them from here. Wish me luck.

In the same vein, I ordered some clothing from Land's End for an upcoming trip to Phoenix. It's an everything zen trip, where I get to go to my older brother's wedding. Eye rolling all over the place. He's 50 and his fiance is pregnant. It's wife number THREE. They are registered at a 'buy us a honeymoon' type place. They wanna go to the US Virgin Islands. Now, that kind of trip is fine for some people, but I distinctly remember my dad scooping him outta bed during 'dark time' so they could go catch a flight with the famous Flying Tigers. I think that trip idea is utterly boring, and not worthy of a kid who practically grew up at O'Hare. But I still need to look 'recenta' in the land of "Damn, it's hot."

Now, Land's End is know for conservative clothing. I ordered a few skorts, thinking, well, that model is probably 5'10", I'm 5'4", the length will be fine. I was wrong. They were chach monster skorts. Wax skorts. Seriously, I tried one on and thought-'I can't go to the grocery in this!!! I'll put someone's eye out!' Picture a pair of running shorts. THAT's how long they weren't.

The order that came in properly? Sequined Nanette Lepore Keds. 70% off. Now we're talking.

The audacity of hope

and stuff. Barack Obama has a book out with that title. That's not what I am referring to.



I went to a baby shower today. Little Nicholas' due date is any day now. I started a pumpkin hat for his mama, because Chris absolutely LOVES Halloween. I finished it and took it by her job a few days after Valentines' Day. I was absolutely shocked when I found out she'd already HAD him. He weighed one and a half pounds at about 25 weeks.



It hit me last week when I was browsing little onesies, looking for a gift. Such an optimist. Buying size 9-12 month clothing for a child who weighs less than my purse .... THAT is audacious hope, pal. Women do it all the time.



Speaking of hope, I got my Suede in this week. Couldn't stand walking by it, and finally I sat down with it. It was the center piece of one of those tops that starts as a circle, then morphs out into a real top. Gauge-wise, it wasn't QUITE gonna work. Then the amazing gassy dog laid on it and pushed a few stitches off the circs. Pthb! went the dog. Zip zip zip, out went the needles.



Those patterns are usually written as 'One size' and too bad if it ain't YOUR size. I don't really think Suede wanted to BE that circle top, but at least now I understand HOW it works, and have a good idea of the color layout. The top that it REALLY wants to be is trapped in my head.

'lo?

All's been quiet in blogland. I've had several nice half-day excursions to the VA. I am a leetle bit worried about what the doc gave me. I've got another appointment in a week, I will ask more questions then, but right now, this bottle of meds and I have been in a staring contest. I ain't taking it yet. It's used for hyperthyroidism, and to shut your thyroid down. Thanks, I'd rather be certain about it, I hate to experiment.

Last week, I got a message from my little brother. He had an emergency appendectomy. He THOUGHT he was going to go to Tokyo this weekend, but he was wrong. (Mothers KNOW this stuff already...you may feel really good after childbirth, but someone sneaks up on you and hits you over the head, and you fall on the bed. This happens repeatedly until the kid graduates.) So he's been bunny-slippering around the house. Good. He told me they weren't going to take his staples out early, and I said he wouldn't make it thru airport security.

Last week, I got my phone bill from China. That was not so good.

I haven't knit much lately. I think some of this is because the DVD player died. This is pretty annoying, especially since I bought a copy of Juno on Friday. It's stuck in the machine now, I haven't even seen the menu.

I've been pondering the whole thyroid issue-and mine's pretty simple, really-I have almost no TSH- and decided that it would be in my best interest to document my body's response to this process. So I joined Weight Watchers. It's pretty interesting-it's like Ravelry for Dieters, but they are (for the most part) no where near as cool as the knitters I've met. Just sayin'. It's been sucking a lot of time. I joined the Core plan, but staying honest is harder than it sounds.

One thing that's been especially difficult is food. Last week, I roamed thru Target gathering a care package to go to China (lots of nuts and organic stuff) and picking up bulgur wheat. Bulgur wheat is one of the things I am allowed to eat, but I can't even imagine a food it reminds me of. Possibly bean sprouts, but that's it.

Another thing that's been giving me grief is my scale-we've had a fancy schmancy digital one that stores body fat and composition for up to 4 people...trouble is, if you move the scale, your numbers change. So you might lose 5 pounds overnight because you've mopped the floor and moved the scale 8".

I went to Wallyworld today-to look at scales (I bought the old school boring kind for 10.00), a new VCR (they were out), and to pick up some cabbage for slaw (Italian beef night! YAY!) And I found this awesomeness:

It seems to be scarf fabric, or perhaps advertising background (the squares are 18"). It looks like polyester. And it was 1.00 per yard. I bought their last 3 yards. I think it would be FABULOUS purse lining. Isaac Mizrahi is leaving Target to move on to Liz Claiborne.

Warren Jeffs is in prison

I've been following the FLDS situation in the southwestern part of the country for a number of years now. They are an interesting study in mind control and social engineering. I was sympathetic to the 'lost boys' who were banished for minor infractions, culling the herd of superfluous males. I shook my head over men who would marry women and their daughters, and I did not understand how a household like that could benefit all members.

I was happy when they caught and imprisoned Warren Jeffs. Hopefully, the correctional system will correct him. I have every confidence he will be someone's girlfriend, and I believe justice will be served.

I get a lot of junk mail from people I know. Bill Gates STILL wants to give me 500.00 for forwarding email, Victoria's Secret is still checking its mailing list and wants to send everyone a gift certificate (I am a shareholder, and that would PISS me off), and oh, and that kid in Ohio with apageal cirrhosis of the appendix needs a postcard for his hugemongous collection. Yeah, whatever. I am readily able to discredit most urban legends in five minutes flat.

Most of the mail I get from casual aquaintances is stuff to blow off. Except this, which I got from Fran the Rancher's Wife. Texas, once you actually stop and look around, is actually pretty small. Both Mark and I lived in San Angelo (near Eldorado Texas) for a while, and Eldorado Texas was a location of a little military significance. And I believe there is probably more fact than fiction in this email:


Subject: Eldorado FLDS situation


Dear Friends & Family:

Just needed to ask your prayers for the situation with the women & children taken from the FLDS compound north of Eldorado. This is so much bigger than any of us ever dreamed it would be. Please pray that some of the girls would be willing to step forward and tell the truth. They are scared to death as they have been indoctrinated to believe we are all evil. At the moment, we must surely look that way to them.

Please pray specifically for the Child Protective Services workers that they will have a positive affect on the women and girls. They are under such strain. Our high school athletic director's wife is employed by them in San Angelo and I am specifically praying for her as her heart has been so burdened for them before all this took place. Pray for strength for all of them to endure the days ahead.

The 5 people from our church that tried to feed the group at the Fellowship Hall and take care of all the donated food,etc. were emotionally & physically worn out due to the girls being scared, reclusive, unable to eat due to our food not being natural food. They even refused chicken noodle soup. They were throwing up and some had diarrhea, etc. They asked for raw milk which we were not able to supply, but our group did get fruits, vegetables, yogurt, dried fruits, etc. They finally ate some grilled chicken. In other words, it was a wreck trying to figure out what to do with them.

Of course the CPS people were there and law enforcement outside to keep the media and church people away. The fellowship hall was full and we only had the men's & women's restrooms for them. They finally agreed to be bused over to the gym at the school to shower.

Most were young teenage girls, but some of their mothers came with them. We heard that there were some very young who apparently were pregnant. I cannot imagine how they all must feel right now, but we have all prayed God would help us to find a way to get into the compound and get the children out if they would come. He answered and now it is in His hands to help the State complete the task ahead. It can be accomplished, but I believe only through His intervention. Please also pray for all the local & government officials still at the compound as they continue to search for evidence. Our local bunch must surely be tired. I thank each of you for your prayers.



(name withheld)

Exactly WHAT is this supposed to do?

I talked to Enidation earlier in the week, and she told me about "Ni-Hao Kai-lan", which is Nickelodeon's new Chinese cartoon character. Of course, I checked Kai-lan out, and she seems like a nice little Dora-style cartoon. Yay-I learn how to say xue.

While waiting for Kai-lan to come on (yeah, ok, I didn't DVR, I don't ALWAYS think of those things) I met "Yo Gabba Gabba" this week. Have you seen this? OMG. You can't TELL me there's not an agenda afoot. Really.

First, there's the host, wearing the only piece of vintage Mary Quant the producers would spring for. Remind YOU of the winter VK cover photo?

Can YOU look at this character and NOT think "one-eyed trouser trout"?

And Biz' Beat? Biz scares me, plain and simple.

Blogchatter seems pretty favorable toward this show. Parents seem to think it's cool. Kids want to please their parents and are usually open to things their parents like, so it would be hard to say if KIDS really like it. I would venture to say that some skits are presented in a way that's 'too old' for the "intended audience". Heavy guitar solos to teach 123? THAT's for parents, not for the kids.

Have you seen it? What do you think?

You can't take it with you when you go...

But I can sure as hell try....this is the Mongkok postal station, in Kowloon Hong Kong. It is the best post office in the universe. And I have seen my share. The clerks HELPED me get a cheaper rate, which you would never see in East Cupcake. Not a total stranger, at any rate. These guys are small team champions, according to the Civil Service website. I can see why.

I have some 15-17 magazines somewhere enroute, which took up a significant portion of my luggage allowance, and I was so panicked to mail things out in Hong Kong that I bought very little there. But my Shanghai surprises?

Weasel yarn (the photo is a ferret, but the actual fiber is marten) and Delphi. Delphi was the surprise bargain of the trip. 100 grams per ball, soft wool, and reasonable. My shopping helpers were astounded by Noro's price. I consider it to be comparable. A total shame I found the Delphi at the SECOND LYS I went into.

Ah, needles and totes-I was pleased and surprised to see an El Cheapo Peko candy tote. The last time I saw that candy was in 1962. Yes, I remember things that far back. I was probably barely potty trained, but I remember THAT candy box. I bought several of those little novelty sacks, as well as the sock sized brocade bags too.

Cashmere yarn porn shot.

The hank of burgundy, and the hank of crystal blue-maybe 3-4 ounces total, very nice laceweight cashmere. Price for both hanks? 1.00 USD. I ran out of suitcase LONG before I ran out of money.

The guys I was with were VERY helpful...but you HATE to keep non-knitters waiting. I was a little PO'd that I got a mixed/broken bag on accident. I bought the Popular at the FIRST LYS. It's nice, but I prefer the Delphi, which I got in two colors.

The aftermath-

I got home last Tuesday.

There is something about a trip like this that always makes me take stock. I remember years ago, Dean and I went to London for the weekend. From California. It was right after we'd gone toe to toe with the wicked witch of the north for the kids. We lost, and it was brutal. Going to London reminded me that Anchorage Alaska was not the center of the world.



It IS very good to see other things, just to get another viewpoint.

Coincidentally, this morning I threw out 30 bottles of nail polish. Don't worry, I still have two dozen left. Our nail polish consumption has gone WAY down since the kids aren't here, and aren't coming back. What a huge fucking waste of time THAT's been, eh? There, I've said it.

I've been taking stock on a lot of things-I need more exercise, I need to take more care with my appearance, I need to work on quite a bit. I worked 70 hours a week for three years at the coffee shop. I need to direct that effort to myself now.



This morning, I assessed my shoe wardrobe, and bought five pairs. I threw out seven, yay me! I bought several pairs of expensive shoes (all marked down, of course), the kind I don't buy myself because I cheap myself out of things. I bought a pair of killer pumps. And these:



I just found my size (at another e-tailer) in silver. And BLUE. These might have to go back. BLUE!!!

Note to all: I can SEE that they are brown. This was the only color offered at the first site I shopped, and explains why these were 20.00-I guess the original retail was 85.00? BLUE ones are 10.00 more, but I plan to hold off on the blue ones until I see how these fit. There is a strong chance that these will go back. They also come in BLACK, and according to this person, also came in pink at one time.


The other central truths I learned while I was out this time?

We are no longer a super-power. Learn Mandarin now. If you argue about THAT, you are acting like the French.

The best post office on the planet is the Mongkok branch in Kowloon, Hong Kong. I know my post offices; they were GREAT with everyone in the parcel line, and the patrons represented several countries.



I don't shop drunk-but my little brother will. I coined a new phrase "Drunkle" Dean, a little play on one of his childhood nicknames that is a conglomeration of drunk and uncle. Drunkle Dean bought a cute backpack for his niece, and a cute train case too. I veto'd the train case, because that is going to his new nephew. (We're out-guessing karma, here. What are the odds that the baby will be a boy?) I have to mail that to Phoenix.



I have taxes to do. ick.

More of the Sevens

First we walked around.



Then, we yelled for Canada. Sorry, it didn't work.

We drank Pimm's cup, a drink so blokish, I am surprised I never have tasted it. I found a recipe here
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5541978

Blogger here is not co-operating, so just cut and paste. I KNOW I am making a pitcher this summer.

New Zealand won!

Saw THESE, and took a picture for knit inspiration.

Sevens

Suddenly, Hong Kong's a lot more fun.


Wow. More fun than I ever expected to have. Seven players per side, seven minutes per side, that's sevens. Love it. Also love Pimm's, I think. We have GREAT seats.




Our obligatory streakers.

The night market

I had a forgettable dinner. I woke up my little brother about 7, and said "Hey, I'm thinking about getting some take-out." "Get me some too" he said. So I went across the street, and studied the pictures on the menus very carefully. I had my choice of many menu 'sets', which is the same as a value meal at McDonalds, and if you choose badly, which I did, you get a complete bag of yuck. I am slowly working my way thru the fast food menus of Asia.

I finished, and we bagged up the survivors (you know, I wasn't eating bait or anything, just REALLY gristly beef that was mostly fat), and I perused a local tourism book.

"Hey, you can get Red Army stuff at the nightmarket!"

"Yeah Bets. Ya wanna go? I'll take you!"

As it turns out, this was my brother's excuse to put on a clean shirt and get ready to go out drinking. Whatever. So we walk the six blocks down to the nightmarket, which should be called tourist CRAP R US. On the way, we pass a guy with bleached hair that eyed him, and Dean noticed. We walk around the market, and buy a little of this and that. Midway thru, he jets. (Eye rolling, but hey, he lived here, and there are parties all over this weekend. But now I gotta walk back by myself .... yikes!)

Something about Hong Kong doesn't feel as safe as Shanghai. Dean says "Ignorance is bliss" and maybe that's so. But it WAS only six blocks.

So I finished buying shiny trinkets (I would insert a photo here if the hotel computer had the appropriate port, but it doesn't) and started hoofing it back to the hotel. Four blocks from the hotel, I notice a woman with a really short skirt, and she's no spring chicken. Three blocks from the hotel, I pass a vacant lot ringed by chainlink. I notice a girl in a short skirt and boots leaned up against it. And another. And two more. And a small cluster around the corner.

Then I notice the guy with the bleached hair, and suddenly I understand that he's the pimp. Oh.

The good news and the bad news-

I went to the bookstore in Shanghai, and found plenty of knitting books. I bought as many as I thought I needed....and that was the problem. My suitcase was about a dried leaf away from being overweight.

So....my little brother introduced me to the Hong Kong subway....not so different from The Tube, and certainly manageable.

You can tell when the announcements switch from Cantonese to Mandarin, which I heard all last week. Mandarin sounds of swishes and dimples, and vowels that sound like Air and Loo. Lu actually means street or road. So Tai Caing Lu means Tai Cang Road. Before I left Shanghai, I was to the point of going to Cindi Lu Hu. HAHAHAH-I AM a dork.

Yesterday, I ventured out to see the nice people at DHL about shipping my books.

I got to the Central Station ok, and wandered about looking for the DHL kiosk. I stopped a woman in the concourse, asking her "Where is DHL?" She gave me a "I don't know what the fuck you are talking about" look, which you might expect, except that she was wearing a DHL uniform and carrying a DHL bag. Bitch. I made up my mind to pack a BIG HEAVY box.

So fine-I picked up my packaging materials and hopped the subway back to Mongkok. I thought about it a little. If empty, folded boxes were a pain in the ass, what would a box of BOOKS be like? Yes, I think more ass-pain.

I got back to the hotel, and looked up the local post office. Bingo! Just a few blocks away, a short cab ride. (It looks a little sketchy around here!)

So the good news is I ditched seven kilos of printed matter on the Hong Kong postal system. The bad news is I chose the surface option. Secretly, I struggled with that in my mind. DHL sends things FAST, but it would be triple the price I paid for the magazines. My cheapness won't allow it. Hong Kong slow boat really IS a slow boat. My package should get there in about two months. Ohhhhhhhhhh-Kay. It was 50 bucks (US) which was about the cost of the periodicals. Sigh