Oh yeah...I have a blog!

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I have been here for two weeks now and am finally finding words worth sharing rumbling 'round my head again! Here's a random and timid reentry to the bloggin life!

Cleanse and Purge:

I have moved 8 times in the past 6 years. Some of those moves are obvious--I was a college student, therefore, each summer required the great Pack Up N' Move Out operations. Those make up 4 of the moves. I include the summer that I lived in Texas as one move--even though it was only for about 3 months. Then came the post-college apartment, way back when I thought I was going to spend a large part of my 20's working as a public relations associate. I remember moving into the apartment and commenting how I would be glad to settle into a place for more than a year at a time. Oh, how plans change.

Of course, when our first year's lease ran out, I was packing for China. And again, when I decided to stay in Wuhan for a second year, I verbally stated my excitement at not having to move--only to have my joy squelched when the school informed me that the apartment would be redecorated during the summer and all my things would have to be moved out until I returned.

And so, during the past two weeks, I have been partaking in the oh-so-familiar task of unpacking my life and finding a place for all of it again. This year though--I've been reflecting on how good it has been for me to be forced to reevaluate all of my possessions on an annual basis. In college, I took a lot of pride in the fact that my entire life could fit neatly inside my '89 Honda Accord. Now however, I have both a closet in America filled with boxes of stuff waiting for me to return and set up house--and an apartment in China filled with the stuff/junk of life. My stuff is officially spread across the world!

I'm grateful to have the chance to objectively look at all that stuff and ask whether I need it or not. I'm grateful that my tendency towards sentimentality and packratism (oh yes--I DID just make a new word) has been systematically lessened through move upon move upon move. I'm grateful that on an annual basis, I have been forced to fill trash bags with the unneeded refuse of day-to-day life, and to give away the items that shouldn't be trashed. 

Here's the thing, though--and I guess my prayer for today: How do I commit to using these much-needed lessons should I ever get a life that stays geographically stationary for longer than 12 short months? I hope that it's something that someday I can focus on.

Bourgeoisie:

I have hired a housecleaner. I feel like an indolent snob.

No offense to all of you who employ a Cleaning Person. I am just dealing with the guilt of asking another person to clean up my own mess!

My excuses are that 1: Wuhan is incredibly dusty. The dust flies in through every crack and you really do have to sweep once a day to keep it out. And I mean, really...who does that! 2: It is far too easy to get sick here, so every measure you can take to ensure the sanitation of your own living space is helpful. And 3: it provides employment to someone who could use it. There are a lot of people in China (understatement of the century) and there aren't always a lot of jobs (understatement of the decade). So, I am providing one.

She will come once a week and begins on Saturday. I amused my foreign teachers officer, Mimi, (the one who helps me with all-things-China) today trying to make sure that the salary of my cleaning person is fair (it is incredibly cheap to have someone clean your house here). Our conversation went like this: 

Mimi: "You must pay her x kwai for one hour."

Me: "Ok--but should I pay more?"

Mimi: "You pay her x kwai an hour."

Me: "I know, but is that a living wage?"

Mimi: "I am sorry, but she cannot live with you. She can come one time each week."

Dwindling:

My supply of oh-so-soft clothes cleaned with washer AND dryer in America. This makes me so sad.

What I LOVED over the summer: Issue 1:

There are soooo many things to include here, so I'll just start with two for today.

#1: Russell Brand: HE IS HILARIOUS. These two interviews are seriously two of the FUNNIEST late night moments I've ever seen. As is to be expected--the Conan interview includes some PG-13 content. You've been warned. The Letterman interview is appropriately clean. (if I post this correctly, the videos should be in the two posts beneath this one)

#2: Eat This, Not That: http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/restaurants/

This website lists nearly all the major chain/franchise restaurants and shares little know facts about menu options that are the best/worse choices. I ADORED browsing through the website before we went out to eat. The creators' point is that you CAN eat out and still have a great meal that you enjoy--but that you should know that some options are a BILLION times better than others. 

For example: the "Hidden Danger" at McDonalds? Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5 pieces) with Creamy Ranch Sauce. With 830 calories, you could eat 20 mcnuggets for the same caloric price! ALSO: at Chili's (my favorite), if you order the Old Timer Burger on a Whole Wheat Bun instead of a Big Mouth Bun, you reduce calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium by about HALF. It's an easy choice--and you're still eating a great burger! 

Seriously, check it out before you eat out! It is really awesome!