No pings for me

I had forgotten about the cheap crappy faux designer bags in Shanghai.

Big Daddy brought me back the faux Chanel earrings. They are 3,000 dollars a pair and I like the look for less, under 10 bucks a pair. And they Chanel earrings are not even real pearls.

Well, on the busiest flying day of the year I did not get one ping to go to the airport or even the drugstore. Bah Humbug. There are so many Uber/Lyft drivers right now there is one on almost every block sometimes.

Getting ready to make my special version of the cheesy thumbprints to take to my MIL's for our Thanksgiving visit. Taking all the apps and wine and leaving before dinner is working out well for me.

Tonight is the Mediterranean chicken thighs with the preserved lemons. Yum.

Just tidbits

This tree reminded me of the trees in Shanghai, they trimmed them back like this every year. Different bark though.

Punkin Head is travelling in high style to his first conference, Delta, the airline of dreams. He can speak French to all his comrades as he used to be fluent. Years of not speaking it may have made him a tad rusty but I am sure it will all come back to him. Oh, he is in Montreal. Not as cold as the last time I was there with him, that was Christmas. He is staying at the same hotel, the Omni and he said it has been refurbished, and it did need it.

Big Daddy recently turned down a new job that would have taken us back to Shanghai. Said it was not enough money for the grief and this time he would have had to negotiate taking Sammy Dog as we are not leaving another pet unless we are headed to the poorhouse. We still see Remy at the groomer and I am so grateful he found a good home when we were all thrown to the wolves.

I had a few lowlights put in my hair, it was too blond for me. After a tad of shopping we went to Luxe for lunch and met a whacko. He said he was a former player for the Philly's, baseball I think, and he was one crazy dude. Looking for friends in an almost empty bar on football Saturday. He tried to strike up a conversation with Big Daddy and let me tell you, BD does not know sports. Nor does he care to learn about them. He was making the bartender search for the South Carolina/Arkansas game and I told him, dude, South Carolina is playing Mississippi State, it is on the other TV. Whacko.

Michigan lost to Michigan State yesterday. Sad, sad, sad.

The Plot thickens

Sammy and his bull penis, this is how he tells you it is time to go to bed. No I do not allow him to take that into the bed. But he tries every night.

Well, I took Sammy out to pee pee and poo poo or really to sit and stare and I heard this loud noise. It was the old guy from the corner snorting into his hanky. He was walking around the block. Without his nasty little unleashed mutt. That in itself is unusual, in 20 years I have never seen the man walk around the block. At this same time a Realtor was showing the house across the street, you know the vacant property that old corner guy hangs out at in the barely breaking of dawn. Guess what old guy does? He goes up the driveway and starts inspecting the detached garage. Then he goes inside the house. Later I see him inspecting the garage again and going back inside the house.

Is he thinking of buying the garage and not the house? Is there some reason he is so interested in the garage?

New Topic, Big Daddy is supposed to fly home on Friday. That would be directly before, during or after the  Tropical Storm exactly hits or just misses Shanghai. I am sure this will be exciting. As was exhibited in the Beijing swamping China is not big on drains and drainage. BD is about 2 hours outside of Shanghai with a private car and driver, van actually. Hoping for some great pics.

Just sipping my wine and watching

My back is still not "moving about" friendly so I am not doing much. Big Daddy is keeping me appraised of his upcoming schedule. First it was 2 weeks in Shanghai, then it changed to a few weeks in India, next was a few days in Mexico and flying on to India. I am aghast that someone would take a plane from Mexico to India.

India destination at this moment seems to be Bangalore which I think used to be the rubber sandal capitol of the world. Punkin Head's best friend was Indian and knew Bangalore, I do not recall him recommending the sandals.

As this travel schedule is changing every few hours I am not getting interested until I have better information. BD asked me about Emirates, if they fly into Dallas I need to find out what alliance they belong to, they don't fly into Detroit.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

In the end we had to send Punkin Head to the market and instead of a fat pig we opted for wheat pasta with a light sauce. Because I cannot chew the steak I was looking forward to with all the stitches in my mouth. If you have never been awake while someone sewed up your mouth it is super creepy. And I needed 3 extra shots. Good news is the bone actually grew over my implant it was so healthy in there. Bad news is it hurts.

Just made it to the appointment as there were plane delays. We had to sit on the "alley" right in front of our gate at Detroit as there were only 2 Marshallers and we required 3. We sat on the ground at the gate in Shanghai for 45 minutes because Beijing called "an ATC" due to a flow problem. These are just not usually problems with International flights. Also took forever to get the bags in Detroit, that is due to Delta just not having enough staff.

Oh yes, saw a guy trying to get his Rimowa luggage off the carousel. No axe marks but it was so sleek and slippery he had to chase it half way around the carousel to get it off. The bags kept slipping out of his fingers. There were no porters in Detroit.

Saturday

Finally got out of the apartment, felt well enough and went to the rabbit warren. For salt. You might have heard of the run on salt here in China. Depending on what you hear someone started a rumor and caused "the common people" to buy all the salt in China. Then they went after the soy sauce as it is salty tasting. Rumor has it that the rumor mongers may get some time for this. Don't know which is worse doing time for a joke or that the people believed it and now have enough salt for the rest of their lives. And they don't really use salt.

And of course all this had to happen when I was out of salt and needed to gargle for my poor sore throat. WTF.

After dinner we walked home the back way and I got a new robe from the towel stall. They are cheap but they don't last.

Sad, sad, sad

It was bound to happen, my newfound communication skills with the Shanghai taxi drivers failed me yesterday. Got kicked out of one taxi because he did not understand Port-o-man, which is the correct pronunciation as confirmed by the second cab driver. Then the taxi from the Port-o-man did not understand how to get me home, and he was in a EXPO taxi. And I must say the wear and tear on the EXPO taxi was unbelievable. Also the lack of cleanliness.

Big Daddy and I had breakfast at Element Fresh and there were about 8 western guys all sitting by themselves having breakfast about 9:30 in the morning. They all looked sad. Glancing about the room, looking like they really wanted someone to talk to, or just staring at laptops. And they all looked like they had no place to go. It was just weird. Why don't they sit together?

I did buy a curling iron at the hair salon and it was about the same price a good one would cost in the US. Came home and curled my hair. Did not look bad. Woke up this morning and again I have the flatest hair in China. And trust me, that is some flat hair. Can't wait to get home and get a decent hair cut.

And get some fall/winter clothes. I am freezing here. Hairdresser told me it seems colder here and she is right. 50f feels more like low 40's at home. Supposed to get up to 70 this weekend, and I sure hope so.

The real reason I Blog

It is really hard and really expensive to stay in contact with friends and family in other countries. My Punkin Head is the most important followed by my mother who seems to be a ghost these days. So even if the posts seems to make no sense some days, these 2 people know I am still alive. Maybe not sane, but alive. So when the Internet connection here goes wonky and I have to reconnect and retype the same shit over and over, sometimes I just give it up and publish bullshit.

China is very sensitive right now about what is said-the country is exploding with vile indignation. The Nobel Prize sent them all into a frenzy. The Chilean miners highlighted the fact that Chinese mining industry is the worst. Another mine exploded today, this time in Henan. They are trying to appear a world leader with really very little to back it up. They are fighting for the islands they lost to Japan and then the US. And the funny thing is they claim the islands belong to Taiwan, which they claim they own and then they bitch that Taiwan buys arms from the US, which in my mind means--- then I guess they own that shit too. So these are some crazy assholes in charge of things here, including the Internet and the phone companies. When they put the Mrs. Nobel under house arrest they shut off her mobile phone and Internet.

I am sending this through an expensive VPN connection, that is the only way to have access out of China. And yes they know this is how people do this type of blogging. And yes, they shut down the connections if they can. They shut it down often. If too many "words" show up-shut off the Internet or the connection to that grid, just like they shut down CNN every time it is mentioned that the Nobel Prize winners wife is under house arrest. I cannot risk typing his name and probably typing just what I have said is not the smartest thing.

So when you read whacko shit on here and do not understand, either I am censored, tired of the disconnect bullshit, or opened a new bottle of wine. Whatever.

And savor the Barry Manilow experience, get a tape of a Chinese movie, play it for about 15 minutes while you are in a crazy taxi. The one trying to fight with 25 to 30 idiots on bicycles that think they are on Harley's and then just flip over to Mandy. Surreal.

Barry Manilow

Ok, interesting few days.

Watching the miners of Chile rescued was just unbelievable. Go Chile. And the others that helped and then went home. Nuff said. Not everyone needs a personal yank on the chain. Go Chile.

Went for my physical today. Interesting the way they do this. Actually took about 40 minutes start to finish. Bunch of people start out filling out paperwork and then walking about in really poor fitting old robes from one room to another. And there is usually more than one person in the room at a time. Personal privacy is not big in China. I really wonder what the porno thing is here that is so objectional as every thing I see is pretty objectional.

Just a note, this is the fourth time I have tried to post this, some of the fun is gone now. Fuck Barry.

It is way too hard to have to type this shit 4 and 5 times and keep losing it. This is why I am a crazy person.

Going Out

I am afraid to say too much and hate that I have to say too little.

I am a guest here and must remember that as a guest I agreed to abide by certain rules. So I really can't bitch that CNN International, the only English channel available, has been cutting out for a couple days whenever he who shall not be named is on the news.

Makes me wonder who is worse, them or me. Certainly not Harry Potter who had a pair.

So I will go out and eat and drink and be merry. And tonight I will pray for those who cannot.

I now have the cleanest dirty apartment in Shanghai

When the ayi's come we have to clean after they leave. Do not need to go into the particulars here, maybe we are clean freaks or maybe they just don't get the concept. We clean the kitchen and sink and then the ayi cleans the kitchen and there is all kinds of unknown bits and pieces that were not there before. And stuff on the tile walls that is a different color than any products we use. So we just don't clean before the ayi's and it works out just fine. The ayi's come Mon, Wed, and Fri. I usually do a good clean after they leave on Wednesday and then just need a redo on Friday.

Well, here I sit on a Thursday morning watching DWTS and the doorbell rings. There is my ayi smiling at me. Since we don't speak the same language there was the usual jabba jabba jabba and then she went down the hall. Then they had the Chinese meeting and then she came back. With a piece of paper. They changed my Friday cleaning to today, so now I have to reclean the shit I cleaned yesterday after they left. And these people claim they have a plan.

Passport is in, I wonder if I can pick it up tomorrow or have to wait until Monday. Physical is the 14th that should be a treat.

Just talked to my Punkin Head and that makes me happy. If I get to go shopping over the holiday he wants me to look for golden cats with waving hands? Okey Dokey.

I thought I was losing my mind

Ever since I had the implant surgery and tooth pulled I have not had the same sense of smell. Not a big deal as most everything here stinks. Did miss the smell of the Lilies (sic) that I decorate the apartment with, but still not a bad trade-off.

For the last month I have been smelling the wierdest stuff. Food smells. I think it is our neighbors as they moved in about a month ago. Last week it was green onions. So anyway, last night here I am by myself again and I start smelling something that seems to be burning. I am sniffing around as it was quite strong and I always remember The Towering Inferno and there is no Steve McQueen here at the Casa Shanghai.

Finally for some reason I am on the balcony sniffing and I hear this ruckus. Looking down and to the side I see all these people. Setting the street on fire. Now I am not talking about those little fires they always start to scare the spirits off I am talking the ENTIRE street is on fire. Which explained the smell but not the reason my neighbors from the hovels found it necessary to start the street on fire. That must be some big bad mojo they got over there at the hovels. I am starting to get real worried about this holiday we got coming.

Took a picture but it did not come out due to the angle and I did not want to fall off the balcony with Big Daddy out of town.

A Question Answered

When we were at the Portman Center this week I bought a paperback titled-101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S. Ellis with Brian D. Ellis. Excellent easy read for simple problems and questions that pop up here. My biggest question so far was answered in this book. Why in the hell do these Chinese women wear nylons and ugly nylon ankle socks in the hottest months of the year. And they wear them with sandles. So they do not get backaches and headaches. You see, when you sweat the sweat glands in your feet open up-to sweat. So the cold air (this is the mysterious hiding cold air) sneaks into the pores of your feet and travels up the body intact-never sweated out-and voila, you now have a backache. Soon to be followed by a headache. So these ugly, cheap, crappy nylon piece of shit socks are actually medical devices. Who knew.

Went to the US Consulate for my passport request today. There were lots and lots of Chinese people trying to get to the window. Some guy came and grabbed us and took us to the window and said put your passport in. You ever try to reach pass the huddles masses of Chinese people that have made it all the way to the window? So one down and many to go, they will email when the passport is ready. There was one young dude and the passport guy was telling him, this is the second time you lost your passport. Once more and no go dude. You will have to wait until it is up for renewal. I bet this guy can't breathe again without someone making note of it. A US customs guy told Big Daddy what they are worth on the black market and I bet this guy will get the TSA random extra search for the rest of his life.

I do not want to talk about the taxi driver picking his nose, or the girl with plastic butterflys on her toenails or the fact that anyone has toenails long enough to put plastic shit on them. I thought the black girls at Plant Loco had long toenails and they cannot hold a candle to some of these Chinese women. Another Kodak moment and no camera.

Ok, It is getting better, or why we need to keep a stiff upper lip

This has been an informative weekend. We should start with Sunday and work back.

Just got home from Taikang Lu and what a hoot. Had a drink at Amay's and gave her some books we had read and some moon cakes. She has a lendiing/buying library in the rabbit warren and supports the Red Cross here. The Red Cross here is state run. She is trying hard to learn English-she is fluent by Chinese standards-and different philosophy. She would not take our money for the coffee beans we bought or the drinks. We still left a tip, yes some of us westerners insist on tipping for great service.

Then we stopped at the wet market and I remembered it all. I have avoided going there recently for the heat and the craziness, but I went back. Yes, the snakes do escape from the plastic bins. The ladies grab them and put them back. I do not want further information on this issue. We got some great herbs and vegetables and some Martha Stewart eggs. They are blue and green, very light colors. Come on, you gotta buy these once. Could not buy the little eggs, I think they are quail. Then some guy came chasing me down waving a bag of what looked like chunks of red type meat. I almost bought a live chicken or goose just to see Big Daddy's face when I walked up to him.

Then we sauntered down Raijin Lu and I swear I bought roasted chesnuts. Where in the world can you buy roasted chestnuts in September. If that is indeed what they are. They do not taste bad. Then when Big Daddy left me alone for a moment in front of the cookie store and I was looking at this big thing that reminded of a farm implement for something very strange. I never lived on a farm so I cannot describe it other than to say it is strange. I had seen it before and I was flummoxed as to the use of this article. People started buying things from it and everyone seemed quite excited. The sign said 2.50 so I ponied up in the line and gave over 10 RMB, the owner person said 4 and I said OK. They were hot and greasy, the longer we walked toward home the greasier the bag got. They were like a fried bisquit stuffed with a meat type substance. Not good, but for China they at least had some flavor. We took the rest down to the security guards and you would have thought we gave them manna from heaven.

Saturday we went to the Portman Center to get my passport photos taken. It does not matter where in the world you get these photos taken you will always look like shit. Then we decided to find the embassy so it would not be a trial for us on Monday. We learned that Chinese people will speak to you in Chinese for a long time even though they know you do not speak or understand Chinese and they do not speak your language either. Then we decided to walk to our favorite restaurant on Maoming Lu, big mistake. From Nanjing Lu to some place I cannot spell, but about 10 blocks away, you cannot get a taxi on Maoming Lu and if you did you would kill yourself because the cars never move anyway.

Weather is better, hair sucks since the bad haircut, leasing people came today to review Big Daddy's complaints of the wall paper and such for the new lease. I laughed my ass off as I know these people think this shit is all great. When Big Daddy showed them the scars on the floor Shemp stomped on it 3 times, as if to show it is solid. They so not understand what is pretty and desirable and what is OK- this will last for a week or so. God, I read that and thought I am speaking Chinglish.

Great Expectations

I think this is my problem. Reality will never meet expectations in China.

I used to love to get pedicures. I no longer get them. It is too much of a disappointment and a hassle. Not relaxing and pleasant when no one can communicate and the results leave something to be desired.

Went to the hairdresser yesterday and I almost came home in tears. First, I thought I was back in the US at an airport, there were so many people standing around doing nothing I thought it was a TSA training center. Loud, as everyone was talking, in a Chinese sort of loud. If they talk to you-they talk so softly you have no idea what language the are using. If the talk to each other there is a contest on who has the best hog--calling skills. Second, every Chinese person who touched me or my hair seemed convinced that I was there for some sort of punishment. Hair pulling, head jabbing, shooting the water in my eye and then pushing a towel in my eyeball, twisting my neck-and this is the premier place for western hair. And I left with damp hair. All for the whopping price of 1300 RMB. WTF. And a hefty tip to the French hairdresser. And I never did get that glass of water (although that might have been fate working on my side).

Big Daddy asked me what I wanted for breakfast this morning and I almost fell on the floor laughing. You cannot get normal sausage or bacon here, the potato selection is nil, the fruit is not to my liking (nor is the guy with long yellow fingernails picking through it while he is sitting on the sidewalk), no oven and the toaster sucks. How many scrambled eggs with mystery cheese can a person eat?

There has got to be some secret society here where all the western people have taken an oath never to reveal the secrets. Or, they are all in denial that this is just not right.

So Big Daddy is off to Tescos, I am depressed I could not get a toe-hold in the Sunday NYT crossword, and it is raining. Chinese lady at the hair salon told me Shanghai only has one nice day of weather a year, either a translation problem or the first honest person I met in China.

Breaking News: Shanghai

Small Plates:

According to the China Daily you cannot eat penis(es) if you are under 16 or maybe 17, article is hard to follow while you are laughing so hard you are crying and clutching your stomach. This includes every penis from Donkey to Chicken penis. I will pay to see a chicken penis served in any form. Maybe a new book is in order, Who Stole My Penis.

Small Books:

Yesterday I told Big Daddy we were shopping for Bibelots. He inquired as to what they might be. I told him I thought they were cute little pieces of shit to sit around and collect dust. Today Punkin Head told us the history of Bibelots, small books in French that over time came to mean other shit that collects dust. We got ourselves a Bibelot. It is a votive candle holder made of shells.

Small bad fruit:

The have been selling these cactus looking things on the street. Small, round, green on top with a kinda cone shaped body. The top had these convex things that look pretty strange. Finally bought one from a vendor in front of the hotel and took it to the Bell Bar to ask Amay, what the fuck is this?

She said it was very sad. It was lotus fruit. Very sad lotus fruit. Very expensive sad lotus fruit. Dried up. Punkin Head if you dry it you can use it like popcorn. This from the web. Popcorn that would cost a fortune.

Large things:

Which brings us back to donkey penis(es). No I am kidding. I have found the best water in the world. Laurentana from Italy. Comes in big glass bottles. It is heaven. It is also all expired on the date code. When all you can drink is bottled water you become quite an expert on the taste of water. Tried some water recommended in the book "The Man Who Ate Everything" by Jeffery Steingarten. Tried Volvic, nuhuh. This Laurentana that is expired is the best. Negotiating for more expired water as the current supply is expired anyway. And this stuff is not cheap.

Large cabinet:

Big Daddy went and bought the cabinet I picked out for storage. It is beautiful. Now he is mad that all the space is used up already. Did he not notice this shit sitting all over the apartment, including the floor. That's a man for ya. However as my hero he got 2400 yuan off the price.

So things this weekend are not that bad. The apartment is filled with flowers including a "present bouquet" from the flower seller. We found a wonderful amber scented "bottle with sticks" as seen on Oprah for a song. I am happier than I have been for a long time. This place is a bitch to live in. Have to walk to Hong Kong this week. Hate that.

Big Daddy wants Pizza for dinnner after reading Catherine Coulter's "Whiplash", we will see how that works out. Pizza is a first-no penis(es) for toppings-will stick with pepperoni.

Little Automotive News:

Back in the old days we used to pray for someone to screw up the launch before we did. A little bird tells me the latest Nissan launch may answer someone's prayers. I hate to say it because it is so cliched, but also so true, you get what you pay for.

I'm Back

Had to get a new VPN in order to post. Only discovered this when the Internet actually stayed on for one full hour.

The Internet and the cable tv are in a race to see which can go silent more often and for the longest period of time. I learned this only after the day of the meltdown better known as getting the broken tv replaced.

Keep in mind I live in a serviced apartment in a hotel complex.

Started out as every problem does, Big Daddy went out of town. TV in the living room went out. No big deal until I noticed the other tv was on. Called the reception. They sent the Shemp. He fixed it and left. The tv went out again. Repeat the procedure. This went on all night and the next day. Then they quit answering the phone. Then the water in the water bottle unit went out. Only room temp water. Then the kitchen drawer that always breaks, broke.

Big Daddy got home and roared as my voice was now raspy from yelling and crying. The Shemps brought a new tv. It was filthy, must have been stored on the banks of the Yellow River since there was yellow mud on it. The new tv did get a picture so the Shemps left. However, there was no sound.

This is when I had the meltdown. Over 24 hours, 24 Shemps, and 2 tv sets and all I had to show for it was cold water. One of the Shemps brought a water unit. This was before I locked all the Shemps in the kitchen and would not let them leave until they got someone to answer the telephone and talk to me. The Shemps thought it was hilarious. No, they do not speak English. Humor is just universal or my pantomine skills have drastically improved.

Big Daddy had a little confrontation at Marks & Spencer Saturday and 2 "western ladies" were laughing at him. He asked them if they thought that was funny. They told him it is hilarious when it happens to someone else. I guess the gut busting trigger was when Big Daddy asked the clerk to find someone who speaks English and she said, I do.

Chinese Chiclets:

It is hotter than Hades here (the China Daily is accusing the weather people of lying about the temp so the workers do not have to be paid the heat bonus) and the ladies of Shanghai are still wearing nylon stockings. Really bad nylon stockings. No one in the world is wearing nylon stockings in any month of the year but in Shanghai in August these babes are donning nylons with sandles. WTF.

The most inexpensive pedicures in the world can be found in Shanghai in very clean salons. The babes do not get their toes done and still were the open toe shoes, sandles and flip-flops. Gross.

I have been held hostage in taxis 2 times this week, lost 3 times by drivers who have no clue where the streets are. This week tho I was not thrown out of any taxis when they gave up looking. I got out when we hit a traffic light near some places I recognized. Paid close to 80 yuan for their mistakes. Average taxi ride is 12 yuan.

The Ritz Carleton Portman Center is called the Port-a-mon in taxi speak. Hotel Port-a-mon is also acceptable.

When a taxi driver is being hospitable he will turn his ac on high and reach over so the vent is blowing right in your face. All the ac units are moldy for wonderfully pungent smelling experiences. This is why you always carry more tissues than you need. Peeing tissues and sneezing tissues.

New restaurant Las Tapas on Maoming Lu is fabulous. Went twice and great both times. The French restaurant in the Taikang Lu rabbit warren is now Casa 13 (mediterrean)((still can't find spell check function or a dictionary)) cuisine. Pretty good and a great rib eye that tasted of a real wood grilling. The New York Steakhouse is now on the will never go back list. Indifferent service, always out of water/wine you want and frankly they got pissy with Big Daddy about seating. I feel when you spend a fair amount of money fairly often-weekly- they should at least know your name when they tell you to bugger off. Especially since what we requested is exactly what we have had since October of last year. Tipping in China does not guarantee service.

If this Internet keeps going I will post the story of roof next. I have pictures if I can figure out how to post them. Cannot work on learning the
changes to Blogger if the internet does not work.

Where do you wear your pajamas?

I know people who can't wait to get home and put on their jammies. I know people who plan parties so that they can wear their jammies with friends. I remember as kids we wore our jammies to the drive-in. I have friends that think a perfect day is never getting dressed. These people should move to Shanghai. I saw 2 men today walking the streets in their jammies. They were not together. One guys jammies said Happy Wedding all over them. He was about 100 years old. I don't want to think about that. Still have not seen the famous Hello Kitty jammies on the street.

For the 2 of you that read this blog you will be excited to hear I found a clock today. I can now tell time without sneaking into the bathroom and turning on the light. It is fabulous. It tells time and the date and the year and the temperature. Temp in Celsius. Want it in Fahrenheit. This may take time as Big Daddy is having trouble with the instructions. Had it once and it disappeared. I know, I got so good at millimeters I could eyeball mils, but I am older now and somewhat cranky. I have to learn grams. No more 2 pound smoked salmon. I just want to know how fucking hot it really is.

Apartment is filled with flowers. They are so inexpensive here and no cats to knock them over. Sorry for that, Punkin Head. Cats are a big learning curve.
Speaking of Punkin Head, best thing about the apartment is my iPod. Love my music, thanks for the help. Where did Charlie Pride come from?

Sitting in Shanghai

Jet lag not so bad this time, first day was a bitch and day 2 not so bad.

Forgot the most important items to my existance, the fucking bite plates I have been hauling to the dentist for months for fit issues. Could not believe it. Punkin Head is mailing them. Along with my Leatherman. You never know.

Unpacked and now waiting for Big Daddy to gather all the luggage so we can pick which to pitch and which to pack off season into. Broken phony bags will be the first to go.

Could not get the VPN to work and had to reload the program. Could not get the bedroom TV to work. The new toothbrush does work. Hooray.

Flight over was good. Delta on a 747, connected at Narita. turbulence for 2+ hours in the beginning. Made the flight attendents sit down 3 times. Some tray type thing came fying out of the galley on landing and bouncing into the exit row (my seat).

Need a nap now.

Five days to go until Shanghai

Not counting today and next Tuesday. Big Daddy talked to the Japan dude and I should be ok transferring in Narita. There are Sky Clubs in the terminal and worst comes to worst I can pretend to eat Sushi.

My new suitcase, Briggs and Riley on sale, arrived and I am continuing to pack. Shoes are going to be the problem. Just hate deciding what can I take and what do I need to say goodbye to. I just do not believe that I can buy real clothes and things that I can afford are in China. Or Hong Kong. If I was a guy I could just get shirts made and be happy.

Did last minute shopping as for some reason all the websites were down this holiday weekend and had to pay way to much for the last minute items. Bras. The world revolves around bras for women with breasts. If one more flat chested bitch tells me about buying 7 dollar bras at Target I am going to scream. Scotch tape should work for them. Bought La Mystere, Fantasie and Chantelle.

Flame furnace cancelled the air conditioner check as the 40 mile an hour moving storms were not conducive to wandering about the yard. They are coming Monday. And Punkin Head will be at work and not see the program. Oh well. Got the permit to redo the shingles on the garage as I finally got the IRS refund. You get lots of money back when you don't work half the year and get canned. They did reject part of Big Daddy's college tho. Guess they really aren't all that serious about re-training and upgrading your education. And that is why Big Daddy is in China.

Teeth update. This year to date; 4 new crowns, 1 filling, 1 extraction (same tooth as filling), 1 surgical stent, 1 implant surgery (to be continued) and 1 rejected spacer. Spacer being remade and will be placed Thursday or Monday. Had to have the bite adjusted again on Tuesday. I am hopeful I don't need to fly home for emergency dental work.

New life: living with cats. Cats are strange. They do not like to be held. They like to be petted but only if you reach across 3 feet. They like to play hard to get.