Jimspeak

Shanghai is cool. Opium dens are harder to come by than you would
think, but we did see a little shady late night in the bar old white
man with young chinese girl sketch moves. Pics will follow.

Where the hell did I leave off the last time I posted, anyway? Once
again, I'm irked at the inaccessibility of my own blog!

Let's go with this-in Shanghai, we stayed at a hotel in a very
run-down part of town. But here's the thing-even though it was
run-down looking it was great. If I ended up in a part of Chicago that
looked better than this area, I'd be scared shitwitless, with good
reason. But here, that's not the case! We felt (and were very safe.
It's so different here! Why did I love it in that neighborhood? Nice
people, no beggars (like we keep seeing in touristy areas) and more
authentic. People are cooking for their 'restaurants' (tables out
front) in their homes' kitchens. Great food, not westernized, and such
an interesting area! R and I were noticing that hitting an area like
that a couple weeks ago was a bit more....shocking. Now we almost feel
like we fit in (as much as we can as 2 westerners walking around a
part of the city that rarely sees such types).

Good times

Now we have moved on to Tai'an, locale of Tai Shan which is China's
most holy mountain. We are going to climb it on Monday. Tomorrow we
are making a day trip to Confucious' home town. I'll be overflowing
with wisdom by Tuesday! I'm looking forward to it all, but the best
part? We are staying here, in the same hotel and hotel room, for
almost a week!!! That's the longest I've stayed anywhere since leaving
Chicago! Very exciting and it'll give us some time to relax some more.

Saw a table on the street the other day selling meat. Had what looked
like a dog's skull sittin' with it. Fido ain't fetching no mo' sticks
and stones breaking my bones the walls come tumbling on me. Rolly
polly watched us all thru the looking glass mirror on his humpty
dumpety wall board closted freak needs to get out more and experience
some dirty nasty stank-ass rhymes

I need some food

This next part for those of you who have not forgotten about us (yet)
and find it in your hearts to worry about us:

If you read our emails or my blog and get the impression that we are
upset, unhappy, or in grave danger, fret not. I think our emails/blogs
come off funny to each other because we are here and know what's going
on. But we are not upset by the situations we have found ourselves in
or by what we see. Please don't worry as our emotional/psychologically
states of mind are fine (well, R's is. Mine has always been a bit
suspect).

As for the dangers and whatnot, they really aren't there. The bus
drivers are quite competent in their rambunctious ways, and there has
not been a situation yet where we felt our lives were truly in danger.
I swear.

As for what you read here....I have been known, on occasion, to maybe
stretch what could be seen as the truth. To take some liberal
licensure with actual names events and periods in history

So to you loved ones, don't worry (and take what I say ith a block of salt?).

To the rest-I swear it all happened that way! That dangling participle
nearly decapitulated onto my head in a swarm of misogynation!

My sis and I just got done 'instant messaging' back and forth (this
comp lab is AWESOME!! Just wait until later this week when I'm awake
and have more time to sit in here and dump my brain. It's gonna be
awesome! It's super cheap and the comps aer fast as hell) and she just
nixed my latest idea. I want to see Tibet, but she has forbidden me to
do it legally (she has been there and in no way wants the Ch*nese govt
to profit from the Tibetans). So I thought, maybe, after we go to
Uzbekistan in January, we drop by Tibet for some tea. She has nixed
the idea, something about Tibet being the "land of snow" and cold and
roads closed and crap like that. I just think she's scared! Yeah, take
that B!

Ok seriously. I need to eat something now.

Tomorrow is Halloween. I feel like I should dress up. Unfortunately my
only option is to dress as Rachelle. I think I'd look great in her
bikini (she seems to think that is a terrible idea for a costume), and
when I send her out for food tomorrow I'll throw it on and take a pic
for y'all. It'll be scrumptious!