I'm sure you've been suitably perplexed at my lack on ongoing, 24 hr news cycle-style coverage of the goings on in the world, specifically the U.S. election. Suffice it to say, I've never marketed myself as CNN. I've been out, about... living la vida China. This is a country where it's remarkably easy to just lose touch with anything not immediately going on. Combine that with my natural predisposition to kind of lose focus and not pay attention, and...well... you end up with longish blog-gaps. On the other hand, I get the sneaking suspicion that life is a series of getting caught p in the given moment/environment. Even now I can hear my mom chiding me with her oft' repeated maxim: "Welcome to the 'real' world, Chris!" Yeah, yeah, yeah....
But take heart! I was closely following this election... my inner polysci nerd was overjoyed. I followed polls, read commentary... oh it was glorious! I was at lunch when McCain's concession speech came on CCTV... and though the over-dub of Chinese made it pretty much impossible tohear at the time, I rushed back to my trusty laptop and listened in. Suffice it to say, I could have been more pleased with the results! After work, we - Aaron, Warren, Xiaohong, and I - went to Naples to celebrate with a hearty Italian meal.
Following that, Nancy and I went to a party of sorts - a weekly gathering of a few expats for dinner and drinking - and found stars'n'stripes kindred spirits, and grateful people from all over the world. Believe me when I say the world thinks we made the right decision... and they think that by a LONG shot.
In fact, knowing this whole event was going to happen, I opted to give a speech on American Presidential Politics to students this week. I opted in for the topic... not the speech itself. That's contractual. I get no bonus from this... or at least that's how I understand it. I'll fill you in once I get this whole thing sorted out. But I've now got a Powerpoint detailing the whole race and beyond. It was kind of nice making Powerpoints again to be honest.
I didn't have to teach on Friday as I usually would, because the school had a Sports Meet for which all classes were cancelled. Aaron got roped into competing in some track event... and yet I was inexplicably able to avoid a similar fate. I'm honestly not sure how I got out of that. As such, I had a nice, long, relaxing weekend - much of which with Nancy, when she wasn't flying off to yet another business meeting... seriously, t happens all that time, all hours of the day/night. Bleck...business :P
In weather news, the temperature has dropped off rather sharply. In the span of just a few days, I've gone from t-shirt and shorts to long pants and my light jacket if it's dry. My big black leather jacket has even ome out of storage for when it rains. It's kind of nice to finally get into that "other half" of my clothes. I've been told that this is about as cold as it will get, though. The leaves don't even fall off the trees here. That hardly seems like it deserves the name "winter" at all...
Well, as it's late here and I have class tomorrow, I'd best be off to bed.
(CW)WC Out.
The lycanthropic jottings of my fourth year prowling the Chinese moonlight.
Glad you had a nice long weekend and escaped being volunteered into the sport meet... although it could have been fun. : ) Listen, "winter" for me for 15 years was shorts and palm trees with Christmas lights... and now "winter" for your little sis is "80 and mostly sunny." So, no complaining about your non-existent winter- not when you are having the adventure of a lifetime!
ReplyDeletelove, Tracy