Relaxation

No pictures this time, so apologies for that... I keep forgetting to bring my camera out :/

It's been, as the title implies (or rather, explicitly states), a very laid back week so far. I spent the 1st half of this break to approximately "nothing" constructive. This morning - Thursday - I officially began the grading process for my 90-odd papers I still have to read through... I think I'm down to something like 70 now. Yippy-skippy.

There had apparently been some phantasmal plans to go camping near a *clean* river in the mountains with a group of the La Luna crowd... but then another typhoon afterbirth lumbered through the area, and I for one decided going up into no-man's-land to "tent it" was not the best plan of action... I have no idea whether the mission was scrubbed entirely, or if some people still went up.

Thankfully in the last couple of weeks, the temperature has dropped substantially... from "demonic inferno" temperature (~30-35C) down to "super pleasant" (24-27C). It's really made all the difference in the world. I no longer feel like I'm swimming through molten jello whenever I take a walk.

Surprisingly it's been a relatively sober week for me... I had expected me to be taking this opportunity to "bar it up" most nights. For whatever reason, though - chalk it up to the slightly modified company I've been keeping, since most of the "usuals" are out of town or MIA right now - I've been perfectly happy having fun sans beverage.

Went out to the riverfront yesterday and watched the barges chug on past... all over the city, fireworks were being lit off, and it really made for quite the scene. Hey, it was National Day... like our 4th of July... except the fireworks are homegrown and thus much cheaper. Hell these people light off fireworks for weddings, funerals, a good deal at the store, a free soda, or not tripping on the sidewalk. It's pretty damn commonplace. And considering 95% of all fireworks are made right here in China, it's no wonder! (I'll have to check and see just how many Three-Finger Teddy's I can spot!)

And so there we go. Other than the homework corrections, and a minor bit of ongoing stateside drama, this break has been peachy-keen. I'll do my best to remember my camera on my next excursion...

Oh, and I'll probably have a cellphone fairly soon. I've discovered they can run as cheaply as 300RMB... so like $40. Sweet.

(CS)WC Out.

Broken and weary, unable to find my way.