Welcome to Dave's Journeys

Catching up on the past year or so

2012-01-15T16:55:00.002-05:00

A lot has happened sense my last post, so I have created some photo albums to check out. Enjoy!

October 2010 - December 2011 recap...

Winter Break Vacation 2011...

New Year's Eve 2011-2012

North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit...

The Chicago Marathon 10.10.10

2010-11-01T22:23:00.000-04:00

Peru pictures

2010-09-26T12:47:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures from Peru. Natalie and I can't say enough good things about it!

Quality of Life Index 2010

2010-01-18T21:44:00.002-05:00

I ran across a list that was recently published. It shows which countries have the highest quality of life, based on several factors. Check it out: Quality of Life Index 2010.

You may have guessed that the US is not at the top of the list. France, Australia, and Switzerland come in at the top, while the US came in at 7th place. Compared to the top countries whom placed ahead of us, we scored lower in: Leisure & Culture, Economy, Environment, Freedom, and Health. Certainly the Europeans have more vacation, have better awareness of their actions on the environment, and have universal health care, but I was surprised at the lower scores on Freedom and the Economy. First, their economies suffered just as badly as ours in the recent crisis, so I am not sure what makes it better. Also, since many citizens and foreigners look at the US as a "free" nation, I am little surprised at the lower score for Freedom, but then I am reminded of the Patriot Act or other measures that our government has taken in the last several years that have taken away some of our privacy and freedom.

I think the end of the list is just as interesting as the top. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see which countries we probably would never even want to go visit. They are fighting an uphill battle.

Winter 2009

2010-01-10T20:53:00.001-05:00

Haymed and Enka Lake Triathlons

2009-07-02T20:45:00.003-04:00

This year I have been training for various races and having a bunch of fun. About a month ago, I ran a 22 min. 5K, which is the lowest I have done in 10 years or more. Here are some pictures of the two triathlons I have done this year.

Family Pictures

2009-06-18T19:38:00.001-04:00

I have lots of pictures to post, but I will do it slowly. These pictures were taken a while back, but they are still great. Enjoy!!

Anna on film

2009-06-16T23:04:00.003-04:00

These videos are a bit dark, but turn the volume up and enjoy!

Spring has come

2009-03-29T21:08:00.003-04:00

The grass is turning green, the dogwood trees have bloomed, and the sun is getting higher and higher in the sky. Spring is here!

Things are going great on my end and I hope they are going just as well on yours. I have not written lately, since I have not been traveling as much as I have in the past. Instead, I have spent my time working a lot more than I usually do. Luckily, I am really enjoying it.

At home, Natalie and I starting a vegetable garden, the dog is in obedience classes, and we are setting up training schedules for some races throughout the spring and summer. I have been running quite a bit, but today I took my longest ride of the year, finishing 40 miles with over 3200 feet of climbing. Also, yesterday I took my first swim of the year. I have to work on my overall speed for all of these sports. This week I will be meeting with some people at work to just that.

Oh yea, Phish is back! What else could be better:)

March 2009 pictures of Anna

2009-03-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

Dupont State Forest - Triple Falls

2009-02-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

Cedars of Lebanon State Park

2008-12-30T10:28:00.002-05:00

Before I head out for the new year I was able to get a few photos off my phone. Above you can see Natalie, Anna, and I visited the Cedars of Lebanon State Park outside of Nashville, TN. On Saturday we had all day to return home from Paducah, KY, so we stopped for a hike to stretch the legs and exercise Anna. We knew that the park had a two mile loop to hike, which was perfect for our time constraints.

We pulled off the exit and six miles later we were at the park. I stopped at the visitor center and found out that there was no fees to pay, so we drove on and found the trail head. The hike was mostly flat and was through a beautiful forest filled with cedars and pine trees. Also, there was lots of sink holes dotting the landscape, which I have never seen before.

After the hike we stopped at the outlet mall at the same exit and I found a great deal at Eddie Bauer, where I fulfilled my American duty to buy!

Have a safe and happy new year!

NYE 2009 plans

2008-12-29T23:08:00.004-05:00

we just got back from a trip to KY and St. Louis. I got the opportunity to meet a lot of Natalie's family from both sides. It was a great time and we came home with a trunk full of gifts. Now we are headed out for DC and NYC tomorrow. New year's will be spent hanging out with old friends and seeing My Morning Jacket at Madison Square Gardens. The rest of the time of the trip will be spent on a whirlwind touristy tour of NYE and another night in DC on the way back to Asheville.

This will be the first time that the dog will be boarded. As she is sleeping at my feet right now she has no idea that she won't see us for five days. She is being boarded at the same place that she goes to for doggie daycare, so it will be familiar to her and I am sure she will have a great time. We will certainly miss having her with us.

I hope everyone had a happy Hanukah and a merry Christmas and I wish you all a happy new year!

2008 Grove Park Inn Gingerbread Competition

2008-12-22T23:23:00.001-05:00

The Shortest Day of the Year

2008-12-21T14:05:00.003-05:00

It is all uphill from here. Now the days will get longer and I won't be living in the dark for very much longer. The past couple of weeks have been very cloudy and rainy and therefore, I have noticed the lack of sunshine. Today a break in the clouds has come and the sun is shining, which is very much welcomed.

Jay, a long time friend of mine, stopped through town last night. We has a good time and before he left I got a few pictures from Thanksgiving that he had taken, as well as some we took last night. Check them out below.

Anna's World and Mine

2008-12-18T22:07:00.003-05:00

Since my last post was a while ago, I will not go into too many details. However, I wanted to get out some more pictures and a short, poorly shot video of Anna. In the video you can hear her talk about her day. She does this in the morning, afternoon, evening, or just about anytime we come home or down the stairs.

My job has been going very well and I am enjoying the work. I am actually getting to put some of my education to use, which is a good feeling. Part of my job is to analyze economic conditions and the news is generally not positive. However, from what I can tell we are doing okay. In addition to the researching, I am helping with forecasting and implementing some Lean tools. While most may find this stuff somewhat boring, I really enjoy it.

Natalie, Anna, and I went to Memphis, TN and Paducah, KY for Thanksgiving. Anna has visited five states already and will be visiting state number six next week when we travel to St. Louis. That's pretty good for a five month old dog. She has become a great traveler! She jumps in, goes to the back seat, and will quickly fall asleep once she realizes we are on the highway.

Lastly, I have added a link to the right side of the screen. If you are looking for a unique gift or have a special event coming up, then check out Rachel's website.

I have a new job!!

2008-11-03T13:16:00.004-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that I have found a position as a Market Analyst at Volvo Construction in Asheville, NC. I will be working on forecasting and some process improvement projects within my department and hopefully the local manufacturing plant as well.

On the home front, Anna, the dog, is getting bigger and bigger. She is almost 23 pounds now and just loving life. I have put in a dogie door to allow her to go outside on her own more often. She mostly just goes outside when Natalie and I go outside, but I think she will warm up to the door more and more as she gets more independent. We traveled down to Columbia, SC this past weekend for the football tailgate party before the Tenn./USC game. That marked Anna's 4th state and she will have three more states underneath her belt before the end of the year, as we travel to Memphis, St. Louis, and Kentucky to see family over the holidays. She does great in the car and loves getting in and out.

Check out some great pics of the dog!

Help Patricia Win Asics Commercial - Thanks

2008-10-13T21:41:00.002-04:00

This is a message from a riding buddy of mine in Asheville:

Evening Everyone,

I am sorry to bother you but I am in need of a favor. My wife Patricia
has the opportunity to be in a Asics TV commercial for the NYC
Marathon. She just needs our votes.

Please log on to http://contest.asicsamerica.com and click on the view
gallery link. Her video is the one with the sneakers. I would
appreciate your vote and the chance for her to win this opportunity.

Please feel free to forward to any of your friends!

Thanks so much!

Brian

Backyardigans and the Race for the Cure

2008-09-28T22:51:00.003-04:00

This past week I helped setup and tear down for the Backyardigans. They had 3 trucks to unload and load and I got to help with the audio section. It was cool being a roadie for a day.

Yesterday, I worked with the Race for the Cure in Greenville. I helped setup and tear down the event. During the race I was at the 2mile mark and got to cheer on everyone as they came by. It was a fun time!

I was not feeling great yesterday and today I woke up with a soar throat and stuffy head. Thankfully, after taking some medicine, eating a lot of fruit, and taking a two hour nap I am feeling a bit better.

I will be commuting to work for the next three weeks for a short assignment. Starting Tuesday, Natalie and I will be carpooling to save some gas. Laslty, Anna, the dog, has graduated to her bigger cage, which she is really enjoying the extra space. Have a great week!

Catching up on photos

2008-09-25T13:49:00.003-04:00

I had a backlog of photos that I have wanted to post. So, I have four new albums for everyone to check out. They are listed in order of most recent to oldest.

Anna, Natalie, and I went to the Graveyard Fields along the Blue Ridge Parkway last weekend. We didn't do the long hike, so I don't know why they are called the graveyard fields, but we did get to pick a bunch of wild blueberries growing along the trail and river. Anna stuck her paws in the river, but the water was really cold, so she didn't get too wet.

When Natalie's parents visited us we took them to Merrimack Falls and Grandfather Mountain.

A few more pics from our Costa Rica trip last May.

Natalie and I went on a road trip after graduation and part of it brought us to St. Louis and Memphis.

Anna's First 96 Hours

2008-09-17T21:01:00.001-04:00

What's happening on September 15th, 2008

2008-09-15T15:18:00.002-04:00

Today I had the pleasure of waking up extra early for the second day in a row. No, it is not for job. Instead it is for a 12 pound bundle of energy, named Anna. Anna is a cute, wrinkly Vizsla that Natalie and I adopted this weekend. She is 8 weeks and 1 day old today. This weekend we have spent a lot of time together. However, she has slept through a good deal of it. The first night she was pretty scared and cried a bit. But since then she cries less and less. Today she went into her crate for a nap, which is very different than the first few attempts of me trying to persuade her to go to her crate. Anna may be the smartest dog I have ever had. At less than 48 hours of time together, she has learned to come, sit, and walk well on a leash. Also, she appears to be picking up on the fact that her name is "Anna." Also, she is great when meeting other people and dogs and even her potty training has been remarkably easy so far. Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself, but she is amazing.

While we usually just play in the yard, I have taken her on a few walks and she now gets excited when I bring out the leash, since she knows she will get to go far away from home and smell all kinds of things. I will post a bunch of pictures soon, but wanted to post something while the dog is napping.

Great Conversation with Thomas Friedman

2008-09-10T15:29:00.004-04:00

Thomas Friedman is a New York Times columnist, among many other things. I enjoy his optimism, enthusiasm, and most of all his ability to clearly articulate a future I would like to see happen.

Charlie Rose had an interview with him last night and if you have time, check it out:

Doggie Names

2008-09-10T00:45:00.003-04:00

Natalie and I have been tossing around names this past week. We are about to adopt an 8 week old Vizsla dog. The dog will be female. Vizslas are very energetic, medium-sized, reddish-brown haired dogs. Listed below are some of the names we have thrown around:

1. Amber
2. China
3. Fifa
4. Havanah
5. Spark
6. Clay
7. Scotch
8. Winter
9. Fern
10. Obama :-)

Please let us know if you have any suggestions or votes for the names above.

Vizsla puppies and Carowinds

2008-09-06T17:45:00.003-04:00

Natalie and I went to Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte last weekend. It was awesome riding on the roller coasters, cooling off in the water park, and riding some old school rides as well. The following day we went and visited some vizsla puppies. We are hoping to be bringing one of them home soon. This was Natalie's first visit and my second. They are five weeks old in the pictures. Enjoy!

An IMBA Commercial

2008-09-05T14:20:00.003-04:00

I wanted to send out a video that includes a couple of my fellow IMBA classmates. What do you think?

Bonnaroo 2008

2008-06-26T21:07:00.002-04:00

Bonnaroo 2008 Album

First off, Bonnaroo was amazing! This was my first music festival in a couple of years and I could not have gotten the opportunity to attend a better one. Seth, Matty, and I were fortunate enough to have VIP passes for the event, which created a very different experience for us. Having access to an air-conditioned tent, free booze, and side-stage seating was only a few of the perks. It certainly made camping out in southern TN in the month of June much easier. A quick list of some of the bands I got to see:

1. Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB)
2. Widespread Panic
3. Phil Lesh and Friends
4. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus
5. Israel Vibrations
6. Pearl Jam
7. Metallica
8. Tiesto
9. Robert Randolph
10. Ozomatli
11. Chris Rock (the comedian) and many more performers.

I am looking forward to some more music now that I am in Asheville. However, I am resisting a little bit, while I am out looking for a job. As for the job front, I am making headway. Certainly, if you have any contacts or friends that I could hang out with in the Asheville area, please pass them along.

Post Grad School

2008-06-26T19:48:00.000-04:00

Family, friends, & a tractor pull

After Costa Rica, Natalie and I returned to Columbia to move our things to Asheville. We used a U-haul to get the job done in one long day. The rest of the week I helped a friend and classmate move to his new place a couple of hours from town. By the end of the week I took the last load of stuff in my car to Asheville and drove to Rolla, MO to see some friends.

Barry, Tara, Katrina, and I got to catch up over the weekend. I met some of their friends in the area and just had a fun and relaxing time. Then it was off to Memphis for several days. Getting to spend time with my nephew has become a real highlight for me. He has so much energy it makes me jealous.

Next on the agenda was heading down to Athens, AL to see my dad and Carol. I showed up in time to shave ice for a tractor pull. Even Natalie came down from Kentucky to join in the fun. After resting up from the long weekend, the rest of the week was nice and relaxing, as it always is when I am there. However, it is hard to keep me anywhere for more than a few days and soon it was time for me to head out again. Find out where I went in my next posting!

Canopy Tour and the Beach

2008-06-23T08:53:00.002-04:00

Monteverde & Manuel Antonio

This is the last installment of my Costa Rica trip.

After the Arenal Volcano, we were supposed to meet up with a friend in Monteverde's cloud forest for a canopy tour. This meant that we had to leave our lodge before 6am to make it to the 11am tour. The roads leading to Monteverde are hardly roads. Instead, we spent over three hours off-roading through the mountains. This is the only way to get there, unless you have a boat. We bounced, laughed, and stayed in a general mood of disbelief as we winded our way to the city. We were later told that the people of the area do not want the roads paved, since it will mean more tourist would be coming. I am not sure how true this is...we saw several tour buses navigating the same roads as us which was a reassurance that we actually could make it through these roads and that we were going the right direction, since signs were lacking.

Nevertheless, we made it to town and met up with our friend whom had arrived the night before. He is working for the Original Canopy Tour and provided us with a private tour for the three of us. The next two hours made all the driving worth it. We flew through the tree tops with big smiles as we glided across more than a dozen lines, rappelled down two platforms, and climbed inside a ficus tree.

After the tour, we grabbed some lunch and said good-bye to our friend. We had spent enough time in the jungle and were ready for some sand and waves. From the southern end of town, we only had a couple of hours of off-roading to do before we reached pavement. Boy did it feel good! The rest of the drive was filled with an hour delay for construction, a crocodile bridge, rain that often slowed us to a crawl, and finally darkness that made it difficult to see where the road was.

Luckily, we made it to Manuel Antonio. It was still drizzling, but people were out everywhere. This town was not filled with locals, but was filled with foreigners acting like they were on spring break. After checking out a few hotels, we checked into a spot and collapsed. The driving for the day had wiped us out.

We spent the last two days laying on the beach, playing in the water, seeing lots of wildlife, and relaxing at the hotel with a few people we met. This was a great way to end our Costa Rica vacation. Make sure you check out the album of pictures at the top of the post.

Termales de Bosque & Arenal Volcano

2008-06-20T09:11:00.002-04:00

Termales de Bosque & Arenal Volcano Album

When we left the waterfalls, we had a couple hours of driving to get to our next destination. We stopped along the way for pictures, lunch, and coffee. The resort, Termales de Bosque, turned out to be one of the biggest highlights of the trip. The accommodations were very comfortable, the food excellent, and the hot springs were awesome. We liked it enough that we stayed an extra day to enjoy it some more. We had nine pools to choose from and they all cascaded into one another with varying temperatures. Relaxing in the pools, while drinks from the bar were delivered to you was pretty awesome.

Now that we were rested, we got an early start to a long day at the Arenal Volcano. This is advertised as the second most active volcano in the world, but my brief research puts it in the top five or ten most active. Either way, it was awesome to hear the rumbling and watch rocks roll down the side of the volcano. We took a hike around the 1982 lava flows, which was filled with lizards, frogs, a snake, and some cool plants.

The rest of the day was rough...swimming back at the lodge, while sipping on pina coladas (made with fresh pineapple) which offered an amazing view of the volcano and surrounding countryside. The evening was finished off with dinner filled with a view of the volcano spewing out red hot lava. Very cool stuff.

More on Costa Rica

2008-06-19T12:41:00.003-04:00

After a wonderful trip down the Pacaure River, we spent the next day going on the Cafe Britt coffee tour. The tour took us through the organic coffee farm, the milling process, the roastery, and packaging. The tour included the best meal we had in all of Costa Rica and we got to learn to make espresso's, mocha's, and cappuccino's. Definitely a worth while visit.

After the coffee tour, we started heading towards our first volcano, which we were going to check out the next day. The Poas Volcano was pretty cool. Steam was coming off the emerald lake inside the crater. Also, the nearby lagoon, which has a great view, is well worth the hike. During a clear day, you can see the Caribbean Ocean from the volcano.

After this, we traveled to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This included a zoo of birds, snakes, butterflies, hummingbirds, frogs, and other animals. Once past the animals you walk down a path till you get to the first of a series of waterfalls. Each waterfall is quite spectacular.

At this point, we were tired and decided to head to our next hotel. This is where the next post will begin.

Rafting on the Pacuare River

2008-05-28T20:55:00.001-04:00

Pacuare River

I have successfully moved to Asheville...sort of. My possessions are there, but I won't be there for a couple of more weeks. I am headed off to see some family and friends in MO, TN, and AL. Then I will end my post-IMBA school vacation at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN. Life is great!

The pictures above are from the first full day in Costa Rica. We arrived late on a Thursday night and headed straight to the hotel, so that we could rest before our 6am pick-up time. We enjoyed getting to know our fellow rafters during the three hour ride that took us to the river. As you can see from the pictures, the 18 mile journey down the Pacuare River was more than awesome.

The trip lasted all day with a wonderful lunch to give our arms a break. We didn't arrive back to our hotel till after dark. Since we had more plans for the evening, we quickly cleaned up and headed out for dinner with a couple of fellow IMBAers that are working in San Jose this summer. Needless to say, it didn't take long for us to fall asleep that night.

Where does the time go?

2008-05-25T17:22:00.002-04:00

April and May 2008

I really enjoy writing in this blog, but sometimes vacations are needed and since I run the show around this little corner of the Internet, I guess I can take vacations whenever I want. It is definitely one of the perks!

Speaking of perks, I am currently looking for a job and the experience is fun, exciting, scary, nerve-racking, and filled with just about every other emotion you can imagine. Luckily, I am taking most things in stride and enjoying meeting everyone along the way.

So, over the past two months I have been traveling as usual. Instead of trying to recall everywhere I have gone, I am just going to look back at my calender to remind myself where I have been and what I have been doing. Here it goes:

1. Visited D.C. for my b-day. I hanged out with lots of friends, ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, and saw Santana perform just a few feet away.

2. Saw Alaska!! That leaves only one state (Hawaii) to see before I have seen them all. This state was amazing. I love being in a place and walking around and knowing that I might have been the only person to ever place my foot in this spot.

3. Met a few of Natalie's cousins in St. Louis and saw the botanical gardens.

4. Spent Passover with the family in Memphis. This is one always brings us all together.

5. Stopped by my dad's and Carol's for a night on my way back to Columbia. I won't say the ribs and shaved ice are the reasons I come, but it sure is nice to get a taste of both.

6. Once again obtained USC Intramural Champion in bowling. Team Da Jesus is unbeatable!

7. Made two trips to Asheville, NC, where I will be moving to tomorrow. This will be an awesome place for biking, music, local brew, and all things outdoors. Can't wait!

8. Next, I graduated in Columbia, SC with my International MBA, but not without a stop off at laser tag to put an end to some friendly rivalries and a Widespread Panic show. Now I am official!

9. Stayed in Atlanta for a night and a day, where I had dinner with a great friend and checked out the Coke-Cola museum.

10. Lastly, I have just returned from nine days in Costa Rica. What a magnificent country!!

I have many pictures to come and would like to write a bit about Costa Rica. Check back soon!!

YouTube Awards

2008-03-29T11:00:00.001-04:00

YouTube announced this week that it was adopting Google analytics for its videos. This is a very logical step since Google bought YouTube last year and the information a user can gather about his or her videos is pretty extensive. I checked some of my videos and users from 61 different countries had watched one of them. That is pretty cool, although I question their taste in videos. LOL

Also, the YouTube video awards were announced a week or two ago. This is certainly a far cry from the Emmys or Oscars, but it is certainly good to see people recognized for their efforts. For those of you who do not visit the site regularly, you might be surprised to find a great deal of professionally produced videos. Also, you may be surprised to know that YouTube accounts for 10% of all Internet traffic and billions of videos are watched every month.

Another medium that often is overlooked are podcasts. With iTunes you can download audio and video podcasts for free. iTunes makes it very easy to subscribe to tens of thousands of different podcasts and keep them organized.

So, how do you sift through all the garbage and find the good stuff? It's relatively easy, because others do it for you. Just browse the most popular videos or podcasts and you will find that the most watched are often the best. Also, the iTunes store does a great job of promoting popular podcasts broken down by genre.

This is a list of a few YouTube subscriptions I would recommend (The first two can be found in iTunes as well):
1. The Guild
2. Sexy Beijing
3. What the Buck Show

This is a list of my top ten favorite podcasts (in no particular order):
1. Ahead of the Curve
2. Bands Under the Radar
3. The EnvironMinute
4. Happy Tree Friends
5. The Lazy Environmentalist
6. Finding Japan
7. Tiki Bar TV
8. Endless Boundaries Jam Radio
9. Cybershake
10. Medical Minute

So, get watching!

Energy Crisis Solved!

2008-03-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard or seen the new air cars, you will soon. Currently, Zero Pollution Motors is taking orders for delivery next year.

The air car will be able to achieve over 100mpg and achieve speeds of 95 mph. If the car is kept under 35 mph, it will run without gas. Anything over that, it uses a small amount of gas to heat the air, that will propel the car faster. Having a gas tank on board also prevents the driver from getting stranded if the air tanks run empty. The car takes about an hour to fill up the tanks when you plug it into a socket at home. This equals about $2 worth of electricity. This limitation will make this car a commuter car and not a car that you would take on a road trip.

The car will seat six people, need an oil change every 31,000 miles, and contain seats that swivel so that you can face the passengers in the back. The cost for this mid-sized vehicle is $17,800.

Some numbers...
If an average commute is 25 miles each way, then you would have to fill your tank about every other day. This would cost the consumer $30 per month or $360 per year, with an oil change every couple of years! At $3 per gallon of gas and a car which gets 20mpg, it would cost over $2100 in gas each year for the same distance. The air car should more than pay for itself, just in fuel charges, in about 9-10 years. Lastly, don't forget about all the cleaner air we will all be able to breathe!

Spring Break 2008

2008-03-06T15:01:00.002-05:00

Once again spring break has come around, which I love and believe should become a national holiday. Well...some how I don't see this happening, but it is a nice thought. If you think of spring break as an excuse to party on the beach and binge drink for a week, I will say those days have passed for me (and no, I don't miss them). Instead I will be heading out to the Pacific north-west to have a bit of fun with friends and family, but also to look for jobs. In fact, tomorrow I am off to Portland. I will be spending the weekend hanging with a long time Memphis friend who lives in Eugene. Then, next week I will spend my time visiting businesses in Seattle and Portland, so that they will want to hire me when I move there in a couple of months. Wish me luck!

Bowling update...
Last night Team Da Jesus, current USC bowling champions, dealt a huge blow to its competitors by taking all of the available points for the evening. With only two more weeks of league play, I can already smell the championship t-shirts that we will be given out. How is that? It is pretty easy, since I have one from last semester...it has a faint smell of Bounce dryer sheets.

The Interview and More

2008-02-29T18:27:00.002-05:00

I just returned today from Newport News, VA, which is near the city of Norfolk. I was there for an interview with a company I have been in touch with for quite some time. I will receive my feedback sometime next week, so keep your fingers crossed for me and I will provide some additional information soon.

Today, I was supposed to head to Greenville, SC upon my return, but I was unable to get my registration in on time for a 10K run I had planned for tomorrow. Therefore, I am still having pasta for dinner and will go run my own 10K (give or take a K) in the morning. I was hoping to use this race to help get me ready for my 10 miler coming up during the first week of April in DC. Oh well, these things happen. I will

On Thursday next week, my spring break starts. I am headed out to Seattle and Portland for some fun and potential employer shopping. I am looking forward to seeing some friends and enjoying the beauty of the area as well. I know a visit to the wine country in Oregon is in the works. It should be a blast!

Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?

2008-02-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

Recently I participated in a short interview about my exercise habits. The assignment was for the student to find a person who performs regular exercise and a person who essentially never performs exercise. Easy enough? The interviewer did tell me that she had a difficult time finding someone who wanted to talk candidly about their "couch-potato" lifestyle.

After giving the interview, we talked about my behavior and how it compared to the other interviewee. This was not a statistically valid test, but some of the results are interesting. First, I am mostly an intrinsically motivated person when it comes to exercise. My number one motivator is my family. My number two reason would be for my health and desire to live a long and high quality life. However, I am also extrinsically motivated, since I rely on goals I set for myself to take me beyond my average fitness level. These would include my race events that make sure I push myself during my fitness routine.

When I do not set goals, I become bored easily and start slacking on my routine. However, when I know I have a race coming up I will take the time to set up a training plan and make sure I allocate enough time in my life to complete the plan. My natural competitiveness probably helps me stick to it too.

The other person taking place in these interviews was extrinsically motivated. Every time he has been in shape, someone was nearby pushing him to go workout or play sports. It didn't really require a big push, but he was not going to make the effort on his own. I know this feeling very well, since I often would like to skip a run or ride, but end up going because I have made an appointment with someone that I will not break.

What can we learn from this? I think a person must first discover how they are motivated. Then, a person can start to make friends with active people, if they are extrinsically motivated. If you are intrinsically motivated, a commitment to yourself and perhaps an ultimate goal to attain too would help. I think we all have our own motivators, but learning what they are makes success in what you are trying to do much easier and that holds true for activities outside of exercise as well.

President of Shell Speaks

2008-02-24T12:12:00.001-05:00

My school often gives me the opportunity to attend speakers from various backgrounds, covering many topics. Mr. Hoffmeister, President of Shell Oil, conducted a fifty-city tour across the US. He stopped by Columbia, SC to speak to the public (if you were willing to pay $25) and to the students at the Moore School of Business. His opening remarks were characterized as "provocative." He said this word several times and some of his remarks were. Best of all, the words he spoke came from an educated voice. It was clear that no one caught him off guard with their questions, but his responses were candid and very unpolitician-like. However, I did catch him saying to his assistant afterwards in the lobby that we were much better with our questions than Texas A&M. Go Cocks!!

I think it is becoming more important for corporations to interact with the public to gain support and educate the consumer. Many people would be appalled for working for a oil giant like Shell, but in reality, this company and other like it are leading the way for alternative fuel technologies. This tour hopefully changed some peoples minds about Shell and the oil industry.

I will admit that I am not the most knowledgeable about where my oil comes from and how it gets to me. I have gotten the chain emails saying that purchasing from one gas station will affect their profits and then the company will crumble to our will, thus bringing prices down. Of course, this doesn't work. I know that the US is currently dependent on foreign oil, but I don't think the World will be running out of oil in the next 50 years either. I also don't worry about global warming too much. I know that we will discover ways to cope with these problems.

What do I think? I actually agree with Mr. Hoffmeister and most of what he is saying (but not all of it). He says that the US consumer does not have a good education around energy. He says that the US has no strategy for the future of energy. He states that this is a problem for national security. He says that we are at the peak production for our current reserves of cheap and readily available oil. Also, he states that the US is hurting the poor and providing a social injustice by prohibiting its own oil production on federal lands.

It is this last point that I disagree with most. This is due to the fact that the amount extracted from these reserves will only equal to a few years supply for the World and will not have a great effect on prices or supply in the long run. Not to mention the possibility of the destruction of pristine habitats. It is hard to think that no oil will drip into the land surrounding the drilling platforms and pipes. Perhaps it is so small, that the habitat won't be affected by it, but to say that none will be introduced is a bit hard to believe.

As for the other statements, something should be done. Should it be the US that develops a strategy for energy consumption? Should we lead this World in this initiative? Is our national security actually threatened by increasingly common blackouts and the importation of foreign oil? I say yes and no. Producing domestically in the name of security seems a bit fishy. We and every other country in the World is not self sufficient. Therefore, trade is a must.

I do like how optimistic Mr. Hoffmeister is and I am right there with him. I think the World is going to see some awesome changes in the next few decades as we shift to alternative forms of energy. Also, I think Shell will continue to be a major player in the energy market. The company currently has the 3rd largest revenue of any corporation, but its profits are only a little above 7% of revenues at the end of the day. This is not considered fast growth by wallstreet and if I was a shareholder I would be demanding more. Since oil is a commodity and is not made a public good like water, prices are subject to wild fluctuations due to consumer perception and many other factors. Until other sources of energy are readily adopted and implemented, the price increases we see at the pump will continue. If it makes you feel any better, Europeans are paying close to $8/gallon at the pump at the moment. Will Americans pay this much? Would you pay this much? Europeans approve increases in gas taxes readily and the US hasn't had one since the Clinton administration and it only passed because of his popularity.

Lastly, Mr. Hoffmeister stated that the World will never run out of oil. Can you believe that? The media would have us believe differently, but I agree most strongly with this statement. The World has other sources of oil all over. At the moment it is too expensive to harvest these reserves. I am hoping that the World will change its ways and learn before we start eating away at these enormous reserves. Until then, I will continue to do my part by biking everywhere that is within a couple of miles of my home, recycling, and just being conscious of my purchase choices. Hopefully you will too.

I Rediscovered My Smile Today

2008-02-20T18:36:00.003-05:00

I consider myself a smiley person. I just like to smile a lot.

I have often used smiling when I am traveling, since keeping a smile on my face helps other people feel non-threatened by the "outsider." This is especially useful while bargaining or when you can't communicate with someone very well, due to language barriers or other reasons.

Lately I have been training for a run that is coming up the first week of April. I did not work out consistently while I was abroad last year, therefore, it has been quite a challenge getting back to where I was a year ago. (I have made a mental note of this and do not expect it to happen again.) Anyway, I have started to see some results after five weeks or so of consitent running, biking, and hitting the weights at the gym.

Today I went out for a run and was feeling good. I knew I was doing well when I finished the first couple of miles and was still feeling fresh. However, a little bit past the halfway mark, I noticed myself slowing down. During the past month, I had been feeling that my biggest obstacle is my endurance, not my strength and this was definitive proof. Then it hit me! I put on a big smile and sped up. I will admit I like a certain level of pain, because I know that pushing myself is a great way to release some endorphins and become stronger in the process. Instead of feeling pain this time, when I smiled I started feeling relief and a lightness in my step.

At this point, I remembered that I have always smiled when things get tough. It somehow relaxes me and makes things go a bit more smoothly. I know when I am climbing a hill on my bike I often have a big grin on my face. So, for the remainder of my run, I concentrated on my breathing and kept a smile on my face. It really does make things easier.

Have you experienced this before? If not, make sure to try it out.

Changes have come

2008-02-19T13:36:00.002-05:00

Change is inevitable. I am sure some famous person said this at some point in time.

If you haven't noticed the last couple of times you have visited my site, I have put in a picture at the top. It is from my trip to Ireland's Giant Causeway in the north. Also, I have changed the location of my blog to www.daviddreyfus.com. This will help people find it on Google, when searching for my name, as well as those who don't like to type out the long blogspot address. If your bookmarks or RSS feeder is set up with the old address, it will continue to work the same way it has always been working.

I have also added in a slide show of my Picasa pictures and a side-bar with links to my most recent You-Tube videos. Fun stuff!

Now it is back to simulations, annual reports, inventory management, and international patent laws.

Wilmington, NC

2008-02-18T09:04:00.006-05:00

Recently I took an overnight trip to Wilmington, NC. Since I will be leaving SC soon, I have written down several places I want to visit before I leave the area. It wasn't too hard to convince Natalie to come along, since she has been wanting to get to the beach.

So off we went, for a beautiful day for the beach! As we drove into town, we were treated to the immaculately maintained historic district. This area, along the waterfront, is full of shops, restaurants, and art galleries. After finding a parking spot and a shop owner that didn't mind giving change for the meters, we jumped on a horse carriage for a tour of the town. The horses name was Ned and he knew exactly where to go. As we moseyed along the bricked streets, we were entertained by the drivers stories and knowledge of the area. It was a very relaxing way to start out the day.

The remainder of the morning was spent walking around checking out shops, looking at the Battleship North Carolina across the river, and eating lunch outside on a deck over looking the river.

After all this activity, we headed to the beach! The Eastern US coast is not exactly known for its beautiful beaches, but Wrightsville, NC has a pretty nice beach when compared with other east coast beaches. It was about 70 degrees outside, so it felt good to be outside and soak up the sun. As for the water, only my foot made it in...it was freezing!

At night we checked out a local bar that served Magic Hat beer. The band that played was called, Yesterday's Gravy. The group had a couple of good moments, but overall I was just happy drinking a great beer and chatting away.

The next morning we woke up with an awesome view of the ocean from the balcony. Soon thereafter we got hungry. So, we packed up, walked out on the beach for a few minutes and headed back to the car and started our way back to Columbia, SC.

Saturday School, Bowling, and More

2008-02-16T21:45:00.004-05:00

I must say that having class on Saturday's is not that much fun. These classes are for Professional MBA (PMBA) classes, which means about 40% of the students are distance learning students and many must drive one to two hours to school. On Tuesday nights, during our regular class time, the lecture is taped and posted on the web. On Saturday's, the class is not taped and starts at 8:30am. This means that if you are in Greenville, SC, you must leave your home at 6:50am to make it to the school. If you are coming from Charleston, SC, the drive is an additional thirty minutes away. I would find this very frustrating, if I had to drive this far so early in the morning. Why does the school ask the students to come to class? The information provided in these classes could easily be broadcasted on the web just like the Tuesday night classes. Today I heard one of the teachers say she was going to move the start time to 9am or 10am next semester, since her students always have complained of having to get up so early. These Saturday classes are a classic case of not listening to the voice of the customer.

I just wanted to rant on that for a minute.

Team "Da Jesus" was pitted against the other IMBA team, "Logjammin" in the bowling league's first week. We wanted our friends to do well during the season, but after playing against us they have a long way to go to reach second place overall. Before bowling, I attended a wine society meeting where I got to taste and learn about scotch. It was a lot of fun, but it isn't the best activity to do before three games of bowling. Luckily, my team is very good and my score of 106 in the first game didn't hurt us too much. By the last game I had sobered up and my score improved to a 202, which is awesome for me on any night of the year. So in one night I probably had my lowest score of the year and possibly my highest (hopefully not).

The rest of the week has been great. I filled it with dinners with friends, my first baby shower (not for my baby), some running, and lots of school work. I only have about 7 weeks left till I am done with my classes and graduation is less than 10 weeks away. It is very exciting! Maybe I will even have a job after school finishes. haha

Bowling is Back

2008-02-13T09:48:00.005-05:00

Today, my team, Da Jesus, starts another run to defend our USC intramural championship title in bowling. This time around the IMBA students have put together a second team, Log Jammin, which will be a another force to be reckoned with on the USC intramural bowling circuit.

Last night, practice took place during dollar mania at the bowling alley. A former teammate is leaving town today and a ceremony involving a toast and a bowling pin was performed. The rest of the details are a bit fuzzy to me this morning. Good luck in Australia!

I don't like to dwell on the past too much, therefore, I will jump right in and introduce you to the newest member of our team....

Remember, "Don't f*$& with the Jesus!"

The Squirrel Is Gone

2008-02-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

Most people don't know this, but a squirrel has been camping out in our house for a month or so. The landlords first attempt at catching it did not work. Luckily, when he was visiting the house at a later date, an entry way into the house was found. Traps were set and within 24 hrs we had the culprit! Now we can only hope that it was only one squirrel in there and not the whole family.

STS9 on CNN.com

2008-02-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bands for the last few years has been Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9). I have had the pleasure to enjoy more than a dozen of their shows (maybe more), since I first saw them open up for the String Cheese Incident (SCI) during the summer of 2000 at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. My most recent experience was shortly before the new year on December 29 in Atlanta.

Check out a four minute video on CNN about the band's charity work. I did not realize the full extent of their work. My own experience has been limited to donating food at their shows, since at every show they collect canned food for that city. This is done for at many of the shows I attend and is coordinated with Conscious Alliance.

Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T13:45:00.000-05:00

In the midst of Super Tuesday, I am going about my usual routine. I have already done my part by voting in South Carolina's primary, therefore, I will check out the results tonight or in the morning. However, if you are a political junky, you have the opportunity to sit plop down in front of the TV or computer for the entire day and watch as the candidates are scrutinized and the votes roll in from the 24 states participating.

One thing I have been enjoying this semester is the opportunity to workout on a regular basis. As we all know, life can easily get in the way or become an excuse for not working out. (This happened to me last semester.) I always have more energy and get more things done when I am regularly hitting the gym. I am sure I could plot a graph showing my productivity vs. the amount of hours I work out. The R-squared value is very high!

My parents are traveling to Florida this week and mentioned to me that they will miss working out while they are gone. If life seems to get in the way, traveling complicates things further. When I travel, I try to do a few things to avoid getting out of shape while I am gone.

First, if it is just a weekend trip, I will make sure to exercise extra hard on Friday and letting my body recover over the weekend, while I am traveling. If I am traveling for more than a few days and I have my car with me, I will bring my bike along and make sure to schedule in some time to hit the streets for a few hours. I like doing this a lot. It allows me to get a better feel for the place I am visiting and I just like biking in places I never have before. If you can't bring your bike, bring your running shoes. Everywhere you go, you can find a road to run or walk on. If it is raining or cold and you are in a hotel, you can usually find a treadmill to hop on. If you prefer taking classes or lifting weights, I suggest looking up a few gyms before you leave town and call them for their class schedules and daily visitor fees. Most gyms will charge between $5-$10 per visit. Try to pick a gym close to where you are staying or pick a hotel close to the gym. This will prevent excuses for being to far away or even allow you to walk over to the gym, instead of driving. That is good for you and the environment!

Do you do something different when you travel? I would love to know.

More on the job front...
I have set up an interview later this week with a consulting company, Keane Inc., based out of California, but with offices all over the US and World. I don't know much more about them than what is displayed on their website, but I will be meeting a couple of consultants, before my interview, that are visiting the school tomorrow. Should be fun!

Moore School Rankings and Software

2008-01-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

Some new rankings for the Moore School of Business have been released. The London School of Business has moved us up in the overall rankings and some of the sub-rankings. Check it out and see for yourself here. The Moore School's specific rankings are here. The highlights would be that we are up 17 spots overall to number 55 and that we remain number 1 in international experience. I have certainly enjoyed my time at the school and have always felt like I am being a top-notch education and MBA experience. I full list of rankings can be seen here.

While these rankings are something to be proud of, my thoughts have been with the company I am working with this semester. I am in search of affordable MRP/ERP software. This is software that will help the company better manage its inventory, among other things. I have some articles with rankings of software I picked up from a professor at school yesterday. Also, I have made a few phone calls to companies that I found on the Internet asking for quotes. If you know of any I should consider, please pass along the information.

On the job front, I am still talking with a consulting company that I am very excited about. They are not moving as fast I would like, but I am not sure any company would. lol So, I will keep my patience and we will see how that turns out in the next couple of months.

Disney World Pics and Video

2008-01-30T00:36:00.001-05:00

The last couple of days was spent at my consulting gig in Greenville. I am having a good bit of fun up there and learning a lot. I am feeling better and better about making a difference for this company. I have a ways to go, so only time will tell.

I have uploaded some photos and a video covering my visit to Disney World. Check them out!

Disney World 2008

South Carolina Primary 2008

2008-01-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my first time voting in a primary election. I usually wait for the main event, but with the news and all the talking about this year's presidential race, it got me off my duff and to the polls. On my way out of the building I got asked a few questions by a reporter for the Washington Post. A few hours later I found my name on their website. Check out the article's last paragraph for my blurb.

All my classes are going great so far. I landed a job with a company in Greenville, SC for the semester and possibly for a few months after graduation. It is one of things that I want to be doing once I graduate, so it is perfect. Also, I will get paid, which never hurts. My first day was this past Friday and I spent most of it getting to know the workers that I will be primarily working with. While I would like to just jump in and get started, I know it is more important to establish a relationship. This will help me in the long run, by having every one's support to get the job done.

In other fun events, I ran off to Disney World last weekend! I had an awesome time with my buddy Seth, his wife Amy, and a former IMBAer and good friend, Robin. I have some pictures to upload, but in the mean time you can check out Seth's photos.

The schedule is filling up

2008-01-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

Today is the first official day of classes for the Spring 2008 semester. The professional MBA (PMBA) courses started last week, which I am taking one of these. I will be learning about supply chains and performing two projects for different companies for my classes this semester.

My supply chain class will be using case studies and an online simulation game to demonstrate the topic. My other two classes, the projects that I will be involved with have not been determined yet.

Between these three classes and a job search, I am suspecting that I will have a little bit of free time. Therefore, I have signed myself up for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in Washington, D.C. this April. It is an awesome race that passes by all the cherry blossom trees, which will be in full bloom the first weekend of the month. I wanted to do this race when I was living in D.C., but the race filled up with participants in less than twenty-four hours. This year, I was ready!

Also, I am interviewing tomorrow with a used textile equipment seller in Greenville, SC for a part-time job this semester. I know it will involve solving some inventory issues the company is currently having, but I won't know all the details till I get there.

Wish me luck!

Wow! What a ride!!

2008-01-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

I am back in Columbia now. My first class, global supply chains, started last Tuesday. The remainder of my classes start tomorrow. This is my last semester in grad school. I will be taking less classes than last semester, but will be concentrating much more on my job search.

I have less than four months till I graduate. I am getting excited about finishing, going to work, and finding out where I will be living after May. The past year and a half has been amazing, to say the least. I have learned more than I imagined, traveled around the World for six months, made great new friends, and continued to get a few bike rides and runs in.

Last semester I interviewed with several companies. Some I wanted more than others, but primarily they were big companies located in the US. I am still interviewing with a consulting company, RLG International. I have talked with many people from the company, but like most small to medium sized companies, they will not hire people until they need them. Therefore, I must wait a little longer to find out if I will receive an offer.

As for other prospects, I am looking at going back abroad or finding a company in the Pacific Northwest part of the US. It will be a position that uses my operations management skills to improve processes and increase efficiency across a firm. Over the next few months, I will write a bit more about my progress for this job search.

The pictures in this album are a random mix from the past four months, with many of them from the past few weeks during my winter break. Enjoy!

Fall 2007 Re-cap

20th AIDS Day

2007-12-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

Today we mark the 20th anniversary of AIDS day. I will admit that I am not doing anything about it, but stating it in my blog.

As for life since my last posting, it can easily be summed up as "busy." However, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel getting brighter. With three projects and five tests left before the end of the semester, I still have my work cut out for me. I am looking forward to reaching Colorado, sitting on top of the ski slope, and soaking it all up.

Check out a few pics from the past month or so. I had friends get married in NJ, my team won the USC intramural bowling championships, and visited my family in Memphis over Thanksgiving. Also, I changed the layout of my blog again, which means that I am missing a few links at the moment, but will throw them up again during winter break.

The Past Month or So

Video that rings true

2007-10-29T11:20:00.001-04:00

I liked this video a lot. It is fairly accurate of current life for those in school. It makes you think about where things should be headed and what can be changed now.

Echo Project Pictures

2007-10-18T19:29:00.000-04:00

Click on the album to see a few pictures from this past weekend. Tomorrow I am headed out to New Jersey to participate in a friend's wedding. I am sure I will have some great pictures and stories to tell from the weekend. In the mean time I will enjoy myself at the South Carolina State Fair tonight, by having a deep fried Reese's cup!

Echo Project

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T20:23:00.000-04:00

Today is Blog Action Day! What does this mean? Well, the website says, "bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future."

I think that is a noble and justified cause. I think about the environment every day of my life. These are some of the ways I think about it:

1. How much gas I am saving because I am biking to/from school and other errands
2. How far the food at the store has to travel before I buy it...buying local is great!
3. Once a week I feel great as I take my recycling bin down to the curb
4. When I reuse plastic bags, water bottles, tupperware, and so forth, instead of throwing them directly in the trash

In my efforts to support all positive things with the environment, I attended a three-day music festival this past weekend outside of Atlanta. Of course I would have attended if the cause wasn't as good as the one being promoted, but it sure is a nice bonus! So, Echo Project was created to bring awareness to "making positive changes in the way each and every person affects the Earth." At the festival I checked out the non-profit tent and felt like I was at a job fair. About a dozen or so companies were out there promoting themselves and their causes. They had local farmers, Head Count (voter registration), clean river groups, responsible book selling company, and a few alternative energy companies. Also, the festival had one stage and three tents running off solar power. Recycling at the event (and all these type of events) is heavily promoted, encouraged, and practiced.

So, that is my 2007 Blog Action Day post. I will have a few pictures from the festival coming soon.

August 2007 Visit to Colorado

2007-09-30T19:21:00.000-04:00

Upon my return to the States this summer I stopped by Colorado for a week. I was there for one of my best friend's weddings. It was an awesome event and saying everyone had a blast is an understatement. In addition to the wedding I was able to connect with a few friends in the Denver/Boulder area as well. Check out the pics from the week.

Seth Wedding in Colorado

Also, you may check out the grooms pictures here.

Second to last photos from China

2007-09-14T00:22:00.000-04:00

These are some photos I have been meaning to post for a while. My last weekend in China I went to the Qingdao Beer Festival. I posted videos a few weeks back. Check them out, along with the photos. It was a really awesome time!

Qingdao Beer Festival 2007

My Friend On TV in D.C.

2007-09-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

A week or so ago, a childhood friend of mine was on TV. He is a sous-chef at Lia's, located near the Friendship Heights metro in D.C. Check out his skills by clicking here.

Also, I am happy to report that Melvin is no longer with us and one other member of his family. After a dramatic and spirited battle between man and roach, man has once again confirmed his spot at the top of the food chain. May this serve as a warning to any other roaches thinking of entering a house filled with two MBA candidates...BEWARE!

Do you have Pneumonia?

2007-09-04T20:17:00.001-04:00

This semester is packed! I have started to get a little bit of a routine going and so far I have slept a wink any of my classes, which means they must all be really interesting (I am notorious for the head-bobbing during a lecture as many of you may know).

In one of my classes I have been assigned a project with one of the local hospitals. My team and I will improve their process for receiving and checking in pneumonia patients. Our work will improve the hospitals profitability and make sure that people with pneumonia are treated more quickly and with greater accuracy. I imagine their will be other benefits to the hospital beyond this. Thursday we will get to do our first walk through and start mapping out the process.

This past weekend my mom came to visit. I kept her under lock-and-key until my house was cleaned and unpacked! Actually, we had a great time cooking, cleaning, and running errands to help me finish getting settled in. Now I can relax and concentrate on my school work, instead of worrying about Melvin, the roach, and other things living under my sink:)

Back in Columbia

2007-08-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

I arrived back in Cola on Wednesday afternoon and started classes on Thursday. All the classes seem interesting and will be challenging. My home and my life are a bit disorganized at the moment. I have not had a chance to slow down and get everything done that comes with moving, starting school, and just returning to the States after being gone for over five months.

Even with being a little busy right now I managed to make it to the gym yesterday and it felt wonderful. I forgot that hardly anyone goes to the gym at 9am on Saturday mornings, so it was nice to have the place to myself. And today I went for my first bike ride in a long long time. I have missed my endorphins. They make me feel sooooo good!

Hopefully by the end of Labor Day weekend, I will have completely unpacked and have a nice schedule laid out for the Fall semester. In the mean time I will be taking things as they come and trying to keep my head above water.

I am back!

2007-08-15T14:25:00.000-04:00

I wanted to just send out a quick note that I arrived in the States yesterday around 5pm Mountain time. It is great to be back and I am looking forward to seeing everyone this week in CO and then all my classmates next week in Columbia. More to come soon!

Qingdao Beer Festival Videos

2007-08-12T23:42:00.000-04:00

Below are a few videos from my last weekend in China. The Qingdao Beer Festival did not let us down. Many nights of beer pong, funneling, and trying to beat the "bar girls" at the dice game (its a China thing) prepared me for this past weekend and it all paid off. What a blast we had. Pictures will be soon to follow.

Jared and Chris dancin it up on the Tsingdao Stage.

Budweiser Tent Girls on Stage (a bit blurry).

Acrobatics on the Budweiser Stage

My Last Weekend in Wuxi

2007-08-06T00:03:00.000-04:00

I have been given the task of performing several restaurant reviews before I leave China. What a welcomed task, since I love to eat. Check out the pictures for a look at some of the foods I have eaten. Yum yum!

Last Weekend in Wuxi

Friday, I went out with some guys in Wuxi. The dinner was pretty good and we ended up at one of the local expat bars drinking and listening to the band.

Saturday I slept late and spent my time doing chores, until it was time to go out for dinner. I was taken to an awesome Korean BBQ place. We got to cook our own food on a pit in the center of the table. It was a lot of fun and was followed up by a visit to the local arcade. The place was filled with smoke, had slot machines for gambling, and most of the games that you would find at a Dave and Buster's but with not as much variety and perhaps a couple of years older. It was fun to drive the cars and after shooting a bunch of some zombies I called it a night.

Sunday I got up early and headed to the tailor. I ordered some shirts and then met some visitors and took them to one of the shopping areas in Wuxi. We walked around the Temple Market for a couple of hours till the monsoon came. Then we bought umbrellas and still got soaked on our way to hail a taxi back to their hotel. The streets flooded quickly and it was fun to watch the scooters and bikers move along with the water near the top of their wheels.

After the rain I went to play badminton. This is a very popular sport here and I had yet to try it with a local. My friend was about as good as I was. The people next to us were clearly great players. I just loved that the badminton ball (the shuttlecock) was made with real feathers and not the plastic cages that you see in the American version I have played with. Dinner followed at a German pub. They had dark beer which is a rarity in China.

This week I am finishing off my projects and trying to figure out how to get everything back home.

10 days to go

2007-08-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

I have begun my count down till my departure. However, I still have lots to do before I leave. This weekend I will spend my time sightseeing around Wuxi one last time, doing some last minute shopping, and hanging out with some friends in the evening. The past week has been filled with lunches and dinners with my Wuxi friends. I had not realized how many people I have met over the last few months.

I have made a few arrangements for most of my possessions that I am leaving behind. I will get a free dinner for my microwave, which is pretty sweet. I found someone who wants my bike and I think I will give my dishes and DVD player to one of the family's I have met while I am here. That is about it. Everything else came with the apartment or I just did without this summer.

At lunch today, I was thinking of the foods that I would like to eat one last time before I leave and I was surprised to find that there were not that many. I love the food here, but it is all available in the US, except that it is more expensive and sometimes is cooked differently than here. The only items I came up with were the dumplings (jiaozis), shalampas, and the baozis. I don't know the English equivalent for the last two, because I have never seen them before coming here.

I am not sure what I miss about the US in terms of food. Only some southern BBQ comes to mind at the moment. Dad...some ribs please;)

Less Than two weeks to go (part 3 of 3)

2007-08-01T03:55:00.000-04:00

If you missed part 1, click here or just scroll down.
If you missed part 2, click here or just scroll down.

Anhui Province (Part 2)

The route to our hotel on Huangshan Mountain included two minibuses, a bus, a cable car, and a 2km hike. That is efficiency in China at its best! jk Once we got checked in, we had enough time to walk around the area and check out some of the beautiful views from on top of the mountain.

At 4:30am we awoke and quickly walked out to the sunrise viewing spot. The sunrise at Huangshan is the reason that all the tourist come. It is something that everyone told us was very special and beautiful. If you see the sun rise it is supposed to give you luck and fortune. If it is cloudy or rainy, I am not sure what happens...hopefully nothing too bad.

Their was a crowd near the railing that had formed, but it wasn't too bad yet. In true Chinese fashion no one had dared be different by jumping over the railing and sitting on the rocks. So, I didn't hesitate and hopped the railing and we had the best seats in the house. Others soon followed as we were slowly surrounded by people for the sunrise.

A side note...I found it interesting that the person who tried to move the furthest out on the rocks and almost fell off the mountain was a Chinese man who moved to America and had brought his daughter for vacation in China. Maybe it was coincidence, but the man taking a risk on the mountain, made a big risk to move him and his wife to America at one point in time. Or maybe I am full of it.

Back to the story...the sunrise was beautiful. Oddly the Chinese quickly left after about ten minutes into the sunrise. They were done and most went back to bed. They came all the way to the mountain to see the "famous sunrise" and only spent ten minutes watching it. Weird, I thought, but I don't understand most things that happen here. Cindy and I stayed for a bit longer with the other foreign family that was there. We were the only ones to watch the entire sunrise.

After finishing the nights sleep, we awoke and did some more hiking and then proceeded to hike down the mountain. The line for the cable car was two to three hours and to walk down was two hours or less. It has been five days as of the writing of this post and my legs are still trying to recover from this last hike.

Our last night traveling was spent in the town of Tunxi. I persuaded Cindy that our legs would thank us for walking around and that we should leave the hotel for dinner. Thank goodness we did. We told the taxi which restaurant we wanted and he told me us it was terrible and that he knew the place to go. I said great! We learned that the restaurant was owned by President Hu's family or had been in the past. Either way, I found this food to be the best Chinese food I have had since arriving in China. It is considered Huizhou style food and it was so tasty and good, that I was sorry I could not eat more.

A leisurely walk along the famous "Old Street" in Tunxi ended the night. We woke up early to catch our bus back towards Wuxi. However, we decided to try to visit Suzhou for the afternoon and then finish the trip back to Wuxi by train. Almost eight hours later we were in Suzhou. Such a long bus trip...at least no one lost their lunch like the last bus ride. We saw the nine-storey North Temple Pagoda and one of the famous gardens which Suzhou is known for.

The heat was unbearable (104 F) and we ended up taking a car back to Wuxi, sense all the trains were booked for the next seven hours. I think I will talk about China and how I think it will affect tourism in the future on another posting.

So, that about brings you up to date on my recent travels.

Less Than two weeks to go (part 2 of 3)

2007-08-01T03:45:00.000-04:00

If you missed it, click here for part 1 of 3 or just scroll down the page.

Anhui Province (Part 1)

So...
Once I made it back to Wuxi I barely had enough time before I was off with a friend from DC, Cindy. While I had made most of the arrangements for the trip to Anhui province, traveling with Cindy was a joy. Her language ability opened all kinds of doors and provided one of the smoothest traveling experiences within in China I have had. It is amazing what three years of living in China can do for your language skills!

We visited three old villages with buildings from the mid-nineteenth century. They were filled with narrow alleyways and beautiful architecture from the rich elite of China at the time. Only a few years ago foreigners were not allowed to stay in these towns overnight. While I am unsure what has changed sense then, we were allowed to stay in one of the old houses, which had the hardest bed I have slept on in China.

*This might be a good to bit of information if you are visiting China and some other Asian countries. Unless you stay in an upscale, western owned hotel chain you will be sleeping on a hard bed. I find that most of them are comfortable and I sleep very well. However, occasionally you run into the ultra-thin mattress that feels like a thin sheet was put on top of a piece of plywood. Usually that is a little bit of an exaggeration, but at the hotel mentioned above this was not the case. It really was a sheet put on top of a piece of wood. At least it was better than the stone pillows we saw in some of the houses throughout the village.

After touring our third village, we were about to drop from the heat. We jumped in the car and headed out to Huangshan Mountain. The adventure will continue in the next post...

Less than two weeks to go (part 1 of 3)

2007-08-01T01:28:00.000-04:00

Benny and Bobby's Visit to China

With less than two weeks to go, my time is running short. I am starting to scramble to take care of all my last minute shopping and sightseeing. Since my last post I have done a lot. This will be the first of a three part series of posts.

First, Shaun had some friends, Benny and Bobby, come in town and so I headed to Shanghai to spend a couple of days with them. We went out to dinner, then a club on Saturday night. We ended the evening with breakfast full of French toast and a Denver omelet at the City Diner. The next day we took it easy in the hot sun, but jumping on a three hour cruise along the Huang Pu River. This cruise took us all the way to the mouth of the Yangtze, which looked as if I had reached the ocean it was so big.

A few days later Benny & Bobby came to Wuxi, so that we could catch a train to Beijing together. But first we had dinner and a quick foot massage before boarding our train. We slept very well for the ten hour journey and woke up shortly before we had to get off. The next few days were spent seeing the sights in Beijing and hanging out with a few classmates. My favorite was the Great Wall! It was an awesome sight and quite humbling when you started climbing up and down the wall to each tower. My legs had that good sore feeling the next day, that you get from sense of accomplishment. Don't forget to check out the picture album by clicking on the picture above!

Dancing and Wireless Charging

2007-07-10T03:40:00.000-04:00

A friend sent me some videos of her brother dancing. When he is spinning at the clubs he goes by the name of Crisis. Since putting up a shot of me dancing would certainly bring some good laughs, I will treat you with a video of someone who actually knows what they are doing. Look for my friend to jump in around the 2:30 min. mark. He is in the striped shirt.

Also, for those of us who hate to keep up with all the different chargers while we travel or who hate the unsightly wires all over the counter or behind the TV, I have good news. In the not so distant future, we will be charging and powering our devices without wires. This technology has endless opportunities. It would be great to be able to have an electric hybrid that charged without wires. Perhaps it would just charge as we are driving through town. Of course, how will the electric company bill people for their usage or how do we keep people from stealing our electricity? I will let another entrepreneur figure that one out. Check out the company here. If you want to see it actually working ABC's video does a good job. The YouTube videos were not as clear, but shorter.

300!...no, not the movie

2007-07-09T01:36:00.000-04:00

Today I have reached 300 posts on my blog. WOW! What does this mean? I have come to only one conclusion. Which is, that I have spent way to much time on my computer. However, don't worry faithful readers, I will not be giving up the blog. Nor will I commit myself more to it. I am happy with the way it is for the moment and I hope you are too.

So, I had a co-worker today show me pictures of her new home. It was beautiful. I also got to see a picture of her cute little girl who just finished kindergarten.
This gives me a chance to highlight the differences in China when it comes to purchasing a home.

In China, you typically purchase a new build, sense everything is being built and not much has been in existence very long. When you buy a home it is a clean slate. The owner must pick out the flooring, where the walls will go, what colors they will be, what fixtures for doors, faucets, lights, cabinets, and everything else that goes with purchasing a home. In the US, if you buy a new-build, then you typically get the option of picking out many of the items that will be placed in the home. A new-build in the US offers many customizations, but typically the floor plan remains the same. Also, your customizations are limited to a few boxed choices, unless you want to pay a lot of extra money to go against the pre-chosen customization options. Yes, their is something wrong about having pre-set customizations. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it saves money.

I think that in China you are given to many options, sense most Chinese get approximately the same thing. The culture predicts this, since most Chinese do not want to stand out and do something "really" different.

However, this brings up a different cultural difference. The Chinese want to feel special and if you offered standard customizations, then this need would not be fulfilled. I will save this discussion for another day.

We are covering 6 out of 7 continents...not bad

2007-07-08T21:12:00.000-04:00

One of my fellow IMBAers, Dan Houck, put together a nice map of where all of the IMBAers are working this summer. If you click on a circle it will tell you the location and how many students are located there. Of course, you can move the map around by holding down the mouse button and zoom in as necessary.

Check it out by clicking here. We truly are a GLOBAL program!

Nanjing, China

2007-07-08T07:08:00.000-04:00

After spending a night in my own bed last Friday, I was awakened by a friend's text message. I had a train to catch to Nanjing and I was late! Within five minutes I was packed and out the door heading towards a cab. Nanjing was China's capital city for six dynasty's and has lots of historical sites.

After slicing through the streets of Wuxi, between the people walking and riding their scooters to work, I arrived at the train station. I usually have to sit down and wait for the train to leave. This time I was able to walk through the station and out on to the platform without waiting. I thought that perhaps I should be late more often. Within a few minutes of boarding the train, I was on my way to Nanjing.

Four of us spent Saturday and Sunday seeing the sights. We toured Purple Mountain, where Sun Yat-sen's tomb is located. He ruled over China before Mao took over and is considered the father of modern China. Also, we checked out the Linggu Temple area which had a big pagoda and beautiful gardens.

Saturday night we went to Nanjing's newest bar area, called 1912. We ate dinner and danced at a night club. The next day we stayed at the hotel till check-out and then headed out to have lunch and see Confucius's Temple. We walked around the area after eating till we had to return to the train station. One block of shops was filled with animals and could have been a huge propaganda feast for animal cruelty. PETA should visit Nanjing and take pictures for its website and brochures. I have never seen so many animals kept in such deplorable conditions. The street food vendor at the end of the block did not look busy. Perhaps it was because he was selling the animals that weren't selling? Probably not, but you never know for sure when you are in China. Sorry if I made you lose your appetite.

The weekend was supposed to be filled with thunderstorms and lots of rain. Well, the weather did not disappoint us. Luckily, it seemed that whenever we decided to go somewhere the rain would stop, then after leaving a place the rain would start again. It was incredible that the only weather we had to put up with was rolling up our pants to avoid getting them wet in the puddles that had formed. Of course, some big puddles formed as the pics show. I guess Nanjing's drainage system has not kept pace with the rest of its growth.

So the weekend was a lot of fun. I was a bad picture taker and left it up to everyone else. You can check out my previous post on Nanjing from my first week in China that has pitures to see more of Purple Mountain. Thanks Wiki for the pic at the top of the posting.

The show is just about over

2007-07-05T09:32:00.000-04:00

APPPExpo and More

The picture album above includes the APPPExpo I have been attending and some Karaoke pics I was able to score from Greg. Greg is a family friend of Adam's (my boss) and has been visiting China for the last three weeks. He just graduated high school and is heading to Duke in August. Go Greg!

As for July 4th in Shanghai, it was non-existent. I did nothing special except tell the people I work with happy fourth of July. No fireworks, no "Old Man River" on the bluff of the Mississippi River in Memphis, and no parties. A magazine Greg was reading that afternoon stated that one of the top twenty things to do in life is to celebrate the 4th of July outside of the US. I wasn't sure why. It is like spending any other holiday away from your family and friends.

Actually, I really can't say that is true. While the fourth of July was not mentioned, I did have dinner with my boss, his wife, Greg, and some other people attending the conference on the Bund at one of the nicer restaurants in Shanghai. The view was great, the wine wasn't made in China, and the meal was delicious. If you don't know...the Bund is the bend in the river located in downtown Shanghai. You can see pictures of the Bund here.

Well, as much as I love being pampered in a hotel, I am looking forward to a night at home in my rock-hard bed in Wuxi.

APPPExpo in Shanghai

2007-07-04T10:27:00.000-04:00

I have been attending the APPPEXPO 2007 this week. My first day spent there I was reminded of high school/college career fairs, except the booths are often much bigger. However, my second day I spent the day trying to remember different jobs I have had in the past. First, all the marketing jobs I have had have made me an informed consumer, so I often look at the beauty of the marketing rather than the message they want the average consumer to see. Then I was walking past huge printers that reminded me of my days at Signal Graphics Printing in Boulder. Then later I was reminded of working at my uncle's photo finishing business in Memphis when I was fourteen, because of the enormous photo developing machines.

I have two more days of expo-ing and I will make sure to take a few pictures of the cooler looking booths. If you like advertising, printing, photos, colored lights, big displays, and anything else that has to do with creating these things, then you would enjoy this expo.

This weekend I will be heading to Nanjing for sightseeing. Aside from the expected rain, I am predicting some wonderful sights, food, and fun.

10th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Return

2007-07-01T07:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday China celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Hong Kong's return to return from the British. This entailed a weekend long series of news covering how Hong Kong has evolved over the last ten years. The TV also covered countless interviews and speeches, many of them given by the President of China, covering how wonderful it is that Hong Kong is part of China.

So, what has the last ten years brought China. All I can tell is that it has brought the right to say that Hong Kong is part of China and not part of Britain. Oh, and it has created a day long holiday that some how stretches into two days of non-stop propaganda on TV. I can't tell how anyone in my town was affected by this event. Most Chinese can not visit Hong Kong, since you must obtain a visa to cross the border and their is a yearly restriction on how many are issues. I am sure I am missing something, but this is what it looks like form the outsider's view point. Most of you probably didn't know that this holiday was being celebrated or even existed. I sure didn't. Instead you might have noticed that July 1st is Canada Day, by looking at your calender. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything!

The past weekend's events...
On Friday I headed into Shanghai for a night of Karaoke with Shaun and some other people that we have met during our time in China. For three hours we sang in a room with nice couches, a huge TV, and interesting selection of English songs. It was a lot of fun. Don't worry, I won't be dragging anyone out to the karaoke bars upon my return, but if I end up in one I won't mind getting up there and singing a tune.

Saturday I headed home and went to a friend's housewarming BBQ. It was a very clear day and not to hot, so sitting on the roof top, eating burgers, and looking out at one of the hills surrounding Wuxi was awesome. Also, the host has a great selection of music, which I was delighted to run across.

I made it an early night and proceeded to do nothing on Sunday. This was a rarity for me, but I needed to chill our from all my recent travels and re-group. Tomorrow I am headed out for four days in Shanghai for a sign convention. I will try to "brighten" someones day with Colite's patented LED signs. OK, bad sign joke:)

A Short Work Week

2007-06-28T03:45:00.001-04:00

Having arrived back on Wednesday, I feel like the weekend is fast approaching. I have settled back into things at work. I am feeling a bit tired from traveling, so I am thinking of staying in town this weekend. I still have lots of things to see in Wuxi.

So, below is a quick summary of my time in Thailand. The pictures do a lot of the telling too, so take a gander at them. Videos take a bit longer, so I will get to it soon enough. I forgot the Singapore pics in a previous post, so I have put them here as well.

Thailand

Singapore

I arrived in Thailand and spent the night in Udon Thani. I immediately noticed the blue skies and clean air; at night it was the stars I noticed. These things are not found in China...although I think I saw a star one time. The next morning I headed out with some of the Peace Corp volunteers. We were going to the town of Dansai to join my friend Maeve and other for the festival. We stopped frequently for pics, bathroom breaks, and to pick up more volunteers heading to the festival. The four hour trip took about seven hours, but I got to see some very small villages and awesome scenery along the way.

In Dansai we stayed at "home-stays". We had a beautiful house with a very kind Thai family who provided us with sweet, white bread and coffee (since all foreigners like these things according to Thai people). We took "tuk-tuks" any where we needed to go.

Once the festival started the music, dancing, food, and beer would not stop till we left on Sunday. All day and night the streets and stage were filled with ghosts (the costumed men, women, and children). They performed traditional songs and dance on the stage. Others paraded around with the floats. At 4am the spiritual guide of the town jumped into the river to search for the spirit rock. Every time he would raise his head above water and hold up a rock and ask the crowd if this was it and the crowd would yell, "no." On the third try the crowd yelled, "yes," and he came out of the water and we followed him to the temple in a long, noisy procession. My favorite part of the festival was dancing in the streets with the ghosts and hanging out with all the Peace Corp volunteers.

On Sunday, we headed for the town of Phitsonulok and I checked out some of the sights around town. All three towns I visited were small and beautiful. The people always had a smile on their face and were very welcoming.

36 Hours of Travel Completed

2007-06-27T04:55:00.000-04:00

I left Phitsanulok, Thailand on Tuesday at 11:30pm. I took a bus back to Udon Thani, where I first landed in Thailand. The bus traveled back through Dansai, where the festival was held, and an awesome feeling came over me as I was reminded of the great time I had over the past few days in Thailand. The bus rumbled through the streets where just two days earlier were filled with people dancing, eating, drinking, and parading in colorful costumes. It was night time, but the moon allowed me to see the hills as we moved out of town. The remainder of the night included varies stops in small towns, which all looked the same to me. People got off and people got on and five minutes later we were moving again. By 5:30 am I had reached Udon and I headed out to the airport.

I took a flight to Singapore and headed out into town with a the same guy I met on the way to Udon Thani the week before. He took me to the downtown area filled with skyscrapers and colonial style government buildings separated by the Singapore River. We had lunch and departed ways. I spent the next hour walking around the area snapping photos.

My next flight dropped me off in southern China at 11pm. Shortly, afterwards I was informed that I was going to be kicked out of the airport, since it was closing. I was planning on waiting in the airport for my 8 am flight, but they said it could not be done. So, I got a taxi to take me to a local hotel. I slept about six hours, showered, and headed back to the airport. This morning I arrived in Wuxi, went home to put my things down, and came into work before noon.

Shenzhen, Singapore, and more

I have so much to say about the past weekend in Thailand. It was amazing to say the least. I am going to put together a video of some sort rather than trying to write out what I saw and experienced. Until then, click on the pic above to see some of Shenzhen (a city in southern China that I went sightseeing at before Thailand) and a little sneak peak at the festival. Enjoy!!

Ahhh...Singapore

2007-06-20T17:54:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Singapore at 3:40am this morning and I am about to leave, since it is 6am now. I got some good work done in Shenzhen this week and was able to meet a guy at the hotel to hang out with an evening. He was from France and is completing an internship in China for his MBA. Sound familiar?

However, after talking with him it was clear that we had received different training before coming to China. He has been in China two weeks longer than me and still knows nothing of the language. He actually stated that he was frustrated because the workers and other people didn't make more of an effort to communicate with him in English. I couldn't believe that! I tried to tell him a few things about the culture and imply that he was going about things in the wrong way, but it was clear he was not listening. Oh well. At least it made me feel good about my training before coming to China and that at least there is one person in the country who knows less than me. I think he might be the first person who fits that bill.

I went sightseeing yesterday before catching my plane. It was very hot and I was pouring sweat all day, but at least I have seen something in the city besides the shopping areas:)

Anji films and pics

2007-06-19T05:21:00.000-04:00

Rather than go into to much painful details of my trip this past weekend, I am going to offer some videos clips and let the pictures do most of the story telling. Needless to say, this was one of the most unique, fun, and educational experiences I have had in China. The people on the trip were a blast and very accepting of the waiguoren (foreigner).

Right now, I am in Shenzhen. The city is located on the border of China and Hong Kong. I visited here a few weeks ago and now I have returned for a little bit more work. I will be leaving tomorrow evening for Thailand and will not return to Wuxi till the following Wednesday. Updating the blog will be difficult, but I will try to get an update in here and there. While in Thailand, I will be attending a festival. It is called The Phi Ta Kohn Festival. I am meeting up with my good friend Maeve, who I biked across America with, and about thirty other Peace Corp volunteers who are all living and working in Thailand and other nearby countries.

And now for the good stuff...
The first video will make you laugh! Once we were on the small, smelly bus a mic was passed around so that we all could introduce ourselves. When the mic came to me, I was forced to go to the front of the bus and I proceeded to say my three lines in Chinese that I feel confident saying. But it did not stop there. I was then asked to sing and this is what came out...

I had a great time singing that tune. I think I let it wipe out all the remarks people frequently make about me as I walk down the street, such as..."Look at the foreigner!" or "Ha-Loooo!" I love the sweet smell of justice;)

The next video is a traditional dance from Anji. The girl closest to the camera at the start of the video is the one I ended up getting married too (see two videos down and the pics for more on that).

This video was shout in downtown Anji at the McDonald's I walked past. No words can describe the Empire that is McDonald's.

The last video is a short "shout out" to my parents with my new wife. Doesn't she look happy!

Finally, to fill you in on the remainder of the weekend, check out the pictures by clicking on the picture box below.

Anji, China

I am married!

2007-06-18T04:40:00.000-04:00

I am sorry to my family and friends who were expecting to be present at my wedding and even meet my wife before I got hitched, however, I didn't even get a chance to meet my wife but just two minutes before I was standing with her at the alter. This was not the traditional American wedding, but a Zhejiang Province marriage. This picture is a sneak peak of the ceremony.

I will have much more about my trip to Anji this past weekend and only a little bit more about my wife, since I don't speak Chinese and she doesn't speak English. However, I can say that the weekend was great and I don't feel a bit different after getting married.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

2007-06-15T00:13:00.000-04:00

Goodbye everyone! I am off to a place where I will imagine Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh jumping, fighting, and twirling through the bamboo forests as they fight their way through the enemy to reclaim a stolen sword. No, I did not score tickets to the10th Shanghai International Film Festival and I am not going to a re-screening of the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Nor am I going to be taking hallucinatory drugs. Instead, I am going to get on a bus and go to Anji, China. This is the site of the largest Bamboo Forest in the World.

I will be traveling with a local Chinese travel agency. One of my co-workers, Carl, invited me along. We will be hiking through the forest, floating on a nearby river, and checking out a waterfall the following day. The place looks beautiful from a few pictures I have seen. The agency has booked about thirty young adults for this trip. I am not sure if this is a singles type of trip or if it is open to anyone. from what I have learned about the culture here, I would suspect this is not the case. However, I think I would do really well at speed dating in China sense I could say all the words I know in less than a minute:)

Have a great weekend!

China vs. USA, part 1 and the GFC

2007-06-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

As much as we know or don't know about China, I know I am learning a lot. I am learning so many little things that I don't even know where to begin. However, there are a few big things that make China a different place compared to Western life. Below are a couple of items that I will begin to add on to over the remainder of this summer.

#1: Chinese businesses have not learned the "lifetime value of a customer." As a business in China, you are most likely operating in the moment. Their is no thought for the future. The business is used to working hard for a quick sale and then they do not expect that person to return.

A personal example...I went to a place to eat near my building. I made it a point to try most of the places nearby that had crowds, so that I would be familiar with them and know if I would like to eat there regularly. Anyway, I had a hard time ordering (this was my second week in town and I knew nothing), but they brought out some things for me to eat and a warm beer (one of the first words I learned...I later learned to ask for a cold one). When I was ready to pay, they brought me out a total that seemed very high for the amount of food I was given. I knew I was being charged more than I should have been, but didn't know how to tell them that in Chinese. So, I paid the bill and left. I have yet to return. The food was decent, but I was mistreated. They couldn't understand that I was not a one time sell, but that I would return over and over again and possibly bring friends along. So, they made a quick buck and lost out on a repeat customer. Most people already know it is easier to keep a customer than to get a new one, but we learn to quantify this in grad school. It is quite powerful to learn how much a customer may give to you over time. If this seems very logical to you, it is. However, I have learned that most businesses in China and most tourist areas subscribe to the policy of getting as much as they can with no regard to the future. There are cultural reasons for this in China, such as the tradition of haggling over goods and just being skeptical or disapproving of foreigners. However, I don't know if these reasons are true...I will ask and confirm them. Whatever the reasons, this same problem of being charged more, because I am foreign to this country, happens almost daily.

#2: The Chinese that speak English think they understand Westerners. However, I beg to differ. In most respects they get it all wrong. I am not eating at McD's, Pizza Hut, or KFC. I am not wanting to but "sexy DVDs" or pretty girls. But when I walk down the street i am targeted by all the hawkers and one by one they hunt me down and offer these items. How many foreigners are taking them up on their offers? I do not drive my car everywhere or want to take a taxi where ever I go, and I don't sit in an ex-pat bar every night drinking over-priced beer. Chinese people come up to me and ask for American dollars, when they wouldn't dare ask their fellow Chinese citizens for money. If they knew the exchange rates they would be asking for Yuan and not the Dollar, but that doesn't excuse their perception of me as Mr. Money Bags.

The point of that is that whenever I say or do things it usually is a surprise to them. All day long it is, "Don't you want to do _____?" or "Don't you want ______?" But the reality is that I don't want or do those things. Like the Chinese, we all do different things and often want different things to, beyond the absolute necessities of life (water, clothes, shelter, etc.).

In all fairness, most people in the US don't understand China. I came here with many stereotypes and most of them are proving false. So, it works both ways.

Since the government has blocked Blogger.com again I am unable to reply to comments. I use a website that allows me to see my blog, but it won't let me see every page. I assume this blocking is temporary, like the last time, but who knows when they will let us access the site again. The people here call it the Great Firewall of China (GFC). I don't run across it to often, but the government does restrict a lot. The main sites I have seen restricted are Wiki, Flickr, & Blogger. The government might have good reason to. With web access becoming increasingly popular, things such as what this article refers to are becoming increasingly common. In China people also organize together through mass text (SMS) messaging. A protest halted construction last week using this method.

So, in reference to the comment made on yesterday's post...
Welcome to the IMBA program. Thanks for stopping by and reading. I look forward to meeting you this Fall. I am familiar with the Express paper in DC, because I was living in Silver Spring before I started the program last year. I am glad that Wuxi is getting some exposure in the US. It seems, from the online news and TV, that this disaster has really pushed the Chinese government's efforts to acknowledge the environment and its responsibility to it. Hopefully, their efforts won't die down once this issue is out of the papers.

Clean Water...An Elusive Dream?

2007-06-13T23:28:00.000-04:00

An article that was brought to my attention this week clearly states that Wuxi's water problems will not go away any time soon. The article was written in 2004, about two and half years before the current disaster. It is neat to be at the center of a huge problem that would be publicized around the World in any Western country. However, news in China tends to stay in China and I think that is what the government likes.

As of now, I am using the water for everything but cooking and brushing my teeth. I am eating out again, but I try to avoid most soups (although last night I had some Miso soup). This is the way it will be all summer according to my co-workers. One thing you won't see me complain upon my return to the States is the water out of the tap.

Last night I said farewell to two people I met here and quickly became friends with. China has reminded me of Colorado (CO), in the sense that the people I meet here tend to be transient. In CO people entered and exited your life almost on a weekly basis. There was always someone leaving to go to a new state, new city, new school, but rarely a new job. As some of my Memphis friends would remind me, "Hippies don't work, you hippy." Well, the people in China work. No one can refute that fact. Even the little kids that are sent out by their moms, whom are usually watching from a few meters away, to come pull at my leg and hold a cup to me is working. Yes, it is sad and the child is being exploited by his family, but I will not encourage this behavior by giving the kid anything. If I was approached in a different manner or if I understood the laws that the government has in place to help the poor, I might think differently. Doesn't a communist government take care of everyone? Does anyone know what type of social programs exist for the poor in China? I do not see very many beggars, at least compared to the US and Europe. However, the beggars and the hawkers here are very persistent and do not know what "personal boundaries" are.

Alright, enough bickering. I am enjoying China so much and will be missing it upon my return to the States.

Shanghai and Wuxi Weekend

2007-06-10T23:13:00.000-04:00

Peoples' Park, Pudong, Softball, & Chicken Street

This is a long post, but a lot happened over the weekend. Don't miss the videos at the end!

The past weekend was filled with awesome fun and great sights. I spent Thursday night meeting several classmates and alumni. This was a real treat since I had not gone out to eat in a week (due to the water). Afterward, I headed back to Shaun's place since he had to be up early for work. However, on the cab ride home he got the best news of the night, which went something like this...

Shaun's boss: Hey Shaun! I think you are not feeling well.
Shaun: I am doing great! It was nice to meet your family at dinner and chat with you.
Shaun's boss: Thanks, but I really think you are not feeling well and you should not show up to work tomorrow.
Shaun: What do you mean? I feel great! I have a presentation to give tomorrow.
Shaun's boss: Screw the presentation! Your sick! I don't want to see you at work tomorrow! Have fun with your friend, Dave.

So, it was "out" we went for Shaun's first weekday off of work. We were joined by a couple of classmates I met that night. They took me to a street lined with shady bars, street vendors, and pretty (and some not so pretty) girls calling you into the bars. I have never seen such a scene. The bars were filled with women! An 80/20 ratio at least. However, after we gr abed our drinks and headed over to a table I quickly learned why there were so many girls. It was great how the staff got you to buy more drinks. I played "Connect 4" with one of the staff and was beaten most of the time. I think she had had plenty of practice. These bars had all kinds of rooms that had all kinds of things going on there. I could go on and on about what I witnessed, but I will just say, "it was an education! "

Friday started with breakfast at 5am as we were headed home from the bars. We woke up a little later and headed out for sight seeing. We checked out People's Park first. It was smaller than I imagined, but had a great museum full of art and artifacts. Afterwards we stopped by the Shanghai 2012 building, but we could see the model of Shanghai from the doorway and decided that it was not worth the price of admission to see it up close.

Soon we were walking down Nanjing Rd. I went there on my first night in China, back in April. It is not much different during the day time, except the hawkers are trying to sell you "watchbagDVD", instead of "pretty girl." We looked at a few shops and walked to the Bund. That night we met David Hudgens, our internship advisor for dinner. It was great to have some one-on-one time with David. He has spent a great deal of time in China and knows the area well.

Saturday, the fun continued after we grabbed a train ticket for my Sunday morning departure. We went to Pudong (on the other side of the river). Pudong is an area that virtually did not exist 10 years ago except as swamp land. Now it is an economic free trade zone and thriving with tons of businesses setting up enormous buildings there. We went up the Mao Tower for a nice view 87th floor view of Shanghai. It reminded me quite a bit of sitting up at the top of the John Hancock building in Chicago. We had a coffee and soaked up the view.

After a river-side lunch, we headed to the knock-off market. This is the largest I have seen. It was quite amazing. They had everything you could want, except I didn't see much jewelry, but it could be located in another section of the market that I never discovered. I am constantly amazed at the people and how they have learned to handle rejection. They approach you and you ignore them as best you can, but they just keep trying. They don't care that dozens of other people offered you the same things ten seconds before you got to them. The best was two guys wrestling each other as they went down the hallway. As they held each other in headlocks, they stopped in front of me and ask, "watchbagDVD." The day ended with a great dinner at a Sichuan Chinese restaurant. We ate several spicy dishes until our bellies ached.

Sunday I returned to Wuxi and played one last game of softball. The night was spent eating on Chicken Street with some friends that are leaving this week. They even had a friend visiting that grew up in Memphis! My first Memphian in China. Good times were had by all.

Now for some videos to compliment the photos up above...

A video I shot while walking to the metro station this past Sunday morning. I was amazed at the stamina of these ladies. It is great to see some of the Chinese culture performed for you in the public. These type of events occur every weekend all over China and are really fun to watch.

This video shows Chicken Street in Wuxi. What a place!

Are you going nuTsie?

2007-06-07T00:17:00.000-04:00

A new service I learned about recently might affect which cell phone you purchase. NuTsie allows you to upload your iTunes play lists to its website and stream them to your cell phone for free.

What I like most about the service, besides that it is free, is that it pays the artist a commission every time their song is played. Of course, their are some drawbacks. Your play list will play on shuffle and you can't go backwards or skip ahead to a different part of the song. Also, who knows how long it will take to load your music on to their website. However, if you can't afford the $600 Iphone, then this might be an alternative.

How does this company make money? They don't...yet. The company is talking about ways to charge for this service. Will they flash ads on the screen, charge the user, or some other method. Time will tell. I am sure the artists are happy that all the illegal downloads of their songs will bring in a little revenue.

Can you tell how they came up with their name? You will have to ask me to tell you the answer.

Also, check out LaLa.com for a new way to bring your music along with you. LaLa.com let's upload your iTunes library and listen to whole CDs for free!

Meet my co-workers

2007-06-06T23:24:00.000-04:00

The video above shows some of the people I work with. Enjoy!

Below is some pics I took of some food a friend gave me. The dark stuff feels like Laffy-Taffy and is very spicy. The balls are filled with spices and some type of meat. They are really good snacks!

Finally, This last pic show my town yesterday morning. It was taken from my building. You might say it was a "little hazy." If you compare it to this picture I took last month you can really see the difference.

I am off to do laundry in another city...again

2007-06-05T04:04:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I am having dinner with an advisor from my school. I will get to meet some 3-yr classmates that will join me in class this Fall, some alumni working in China, and other business people from the area. I think I am most excited about getting to eat out and not having to cook or eat ramen noodles. However, I will hold back my excitement and pretend that Georgia, from the career management office, is looking over my shoulder and saying, "It is not about the food."

I have started a Chinese tutor and it seems to be helping. I am getting more phrases and words down. I won't come back speaking Mandarin, but if you want me to order you some rice or noodles, fried or un-fried, with meat, chicken, and/or vegetables thrown in, I am your man. However, my vegetables are limited, so I hope you like broccoli, bamboo, and eggplant.

This weekend I am hoping to stay in Shanghai and get my laundry done and perhaps see a few things in the city. Shaun and I have been sightseeing just about everywhere, but our own towns. Pictures are sure to follow.

I am salivating

2007-06-04T23:51:00.000-04:00

No, the water in Wuxi is not tasting (or smelling) better. But, Apple has releaased some of the first iPhone commercials. You can check them out here. Unfortunately, Apple has signed an exclusive agreement with AT&T for the next five years. I used to have an account with them in CO, but the coverage was terrible. Perhaps they have improved. However, with a $600 price tag, I will play the wait and see game on this phone. Hopefully I won't be waiting five years.

Weekend Update...not from SNL

2007-06-04T01:27:00.000-04:00

Instead of sightseeing this weekend, I traveled to Suzhou. This town is about thirty minutes by train from me. A co-worker invited me there to wash my clothes and take a shower. So, that is how I spent my Saturday. His brother-in-law took us to lunch and ordered entirely too much food. Feeling obligated to continue eating after I was full, by the repeated phrase, "keep eating, keep eating," I was fairly sick afterwards. I made it back to the apartment to finish the laundry and immediately had to lay down. My stomach hurt and I didn't want to waste the food by "praying to the porcelain g-d."

After returning to Wuxi, I went to a BBQ at a friends place. They had a fun crowd and incredibly diverse. This is not too uncommon in China, but it always cool to see people from the US, Canada, China, Netherlands, UK, Germany, and several other countries I can't remember all hanging out together. The hamburgers with cheese looked awesome and I was sorry I was unable to eat one because of my belly ache. (If you don't know, cheese is a rarity in China and "real" hamburger meat is even rarer.)

Sunday I spent the day riding my bike and playing softball. I was pretty tired by the end of it all, so I ate some dinner and retired early.

While I am now taking showers at home again, the water crisis continues. The water still smells (but not as bad) and I will not brush my teeth, cook, or do the dishes with it, but I can't continue to skip on the showers. Hopefully this will not come back to haunt me. I have read up on the blue algae and it can cause problems when you come in contact with it or ingest it. I am showering based on the fact that everyone else in town is doing it. When we all start itching and breaking out in rashes, I will know it is time to stop using the water.

Below are a couple of videos to show you what the city's water source looks like. The first video is a newscast about the problem and what the officials are doing about it.

This next one is in Chinese, but the pictures are more than enough to get the point across.

Need a kidney? Now you can win one!

2007-06-01T01:18:00.002-04:00

One of the newest ideas to hit Dutch TV is a reality show containing three people who are on a waiting list for a kidney replacement. The show allows one woman to choose who will get her kidney with the audience influencing the decision. Here is a link to an article on CNN's website.

I say, "Why not?" The show is a bit absurd and cruel, but it already has brought attention to a subject that is largely misunderstood. It is hard to imagine what I would do if I need an organ transplant. However, I would not just sit idly by and wait for something to happen. I would hire people to canvas the streets, offering anything the person may want, to find someone to donate their organ. I would hang out in hospitals, just in case I may get lucky. I would go on reality TV.

If you can't tell, I am fairly clueless about the process for getting an organ transplant, except that it can take a long time and may never happen. I am sure that I am not that much different than the average person. Therefore a show that will educate and inform us of the process is a good thing and should be allowed to be aired. Why censor it when viewers can make the decision to watch it or not. Then I can stop making ridiculous comments like the ones above.

This is a short clip by the American Comedy Network about the show.

Right now, I am in need of a water transplant. If you know where I can find any clean water, send it over to Wuxi.

Water, cooking, and more

2007-05-31T02:38:00.000-04:00

I have often acknowledged how lucky I am too have water flowing out of a tap whenever I choose. I have camped and traveled enough to know that this luxury is not always available. However, I have never had to live and work in a city with water. Water lines are forming and are longer than any lines I have ever saw while working at a grocery store during high school when snow was predicted.

I could not go out to eat last night, therefore I tried my hand at cooking. You can check out the pics, by clicking here or below on the album. Also, in the album is a pic from Shanghai, that reads "Memphis". The other pics are from a park near my home that I like to visit. It contains the remnants of an old temple that stood there before the city began to modernize. It is cool to see the old with the new.

Wuxi Park and Cooking

This weekend I have changed some plans around so that I may visit a friend in a nearby town to take a shower and do laundry. I don't have enough water to last me much longer, therefore I will have to visit the long lines soon enough. Everyone and every news station is talking about the water problem in China, except for the Int'l news channels are not saying a word. I will be looking forward to clean water so that I may shower regularly in my home, run my toothbrush under the faucet, wash my dishes, clean my clothes, eat out at the restaurants in town, and perhaps take water for granted again. Check out these pics of the lake where the water comes from...yummy!

What is that smell? Oh, its just the water.

2007-05-30T01:58:00.000-04:00

Today started out like any other day. I woke up to my alarm and groaned about it being too early. After snoozing it once, I got up. I went to the shower and turned the water on. About half-way through my shower I started smelling something gross. I wasn't sure what it was. My dad would say, "it is just your upper lip." I quickly finished the shower, but couldn't seem to shake the smell until I got out of the bathroom. I figured there was something wrong with the drainage system in the building and forgot about it.

Side note: Smells in China are common. Every 100 feet may bring a new smell. Some of them are pleasant and many are not. This is just something you learn to live with and you begin to ignore after a few days.

Well, I get to work and my co-workers were all talking about the water. 'Water' is one of the few words of Chinese I know. I asked what was going on and they could only explain that it was "bad". They told me not to drink it, but showering was "maybe" ok.

Luckily I am not smelling any worse than I usually do today and my skin is not falling off. However, I found a few things online about it. It appears that CCTV9, the only English TV station in China, is reporting that seaweed in Lake Taihu is the cause. That seems a bit fishy. No one knows when the problem will be fixed. But this forum has a few words to say about it.

So, what do you do when the water running from every tap is bad? Nothing. You just wait till the problem is fixed. You can go to the supermarket and look at the empty shelves where bottled water belongs. You do not go out to eat, since your food will be cooked with the bad water. Instead, you buy ready made meals and cook with bottled water. No one has batted an eye at this. I think people in the US would handle this very differently. Tomorrow maybe my first "bottled water shower!"

Street Food

2007-05-29T03:08:00.001-04:00

I recently got the opportunity to write an article for the local expat magazine, called Wuxi Life. It was about my experience going to Chicken Street in Wuxi. Chicken Street serves street food. What is street food? It is simply food that is sold on the street. But on this street, I would call it "gourmet street food". Why? Because we sat at a table, the selection was large, and nothing was pre-cooked. It is easier to describe with pictures.

This is the selection of food. Lots of skewers!

Then your food is cooked on a long grill.

The best part! Eating the food. Yummy green peppers.

Chicken Street is busiest from 12am - 2am. However while I was there between 8-9pm, I saw three gals with a case of half-liter bottles of beer sitting at a table eating. They had a long night ahead of them.

Chuck Shepherd, eat your heart out

2007-05-28T23:04:00.000-04:00

Local news in China is often filled with odd stories. A lot of has to do with fake/tainted goods and the affects of all the building projects. Today I will share some of these headlines and stories to give you an idea of what one day's worth of headlines may bring.

First, there is the lady who has been kept underground in a small hole for the past six years. She was put in there pregnant and her daughter never met her until just the other day. Read the article here.

This article pertains to the concern for safety in China. Excerpt below:

"Face-lift after 'health check' on Xupu Bridge"
Xupu Bridge's 240 suspension cables are to have a large-scale renovation to make the bridge safer and more beautiful prior to the opening of World Expo 2010, the Shanghai Engineering Administrative Bureau has said. If no Expo, safety not an issue. (Italics added for emphasis.)

Funny stuff.

And finally, not to scare you too much..."Frozen fish from China recalled as two in Chicago fall ill"

"The list of potentially deadly products reaching the United States from China continued to grow Thursday, as an importer recalled frozen fish that may be tainted with a lethal toxin ..."

Please don't worry about me, I don't eat Chinese exports in Wuxi!

Shanghai Shopping

2007-05-28T02:06:00.000-04:00

This past week has been one full of shopping. I was able to find a bike and went on my first big ride yesterday. I love the feeling in my legs that I have right now. I am looking forward to "really" start a lot of exploring now, that I have been unable to easily do with wheels.

Also, I went to Shanghai this weekend and Shaun and I checked out some of the markets. Shanghai offers lots of different markets depending on what you are looking to buy. The markets are spread out all over town, which means there is no "one-stop" shopping. At the markets you can find anything from any famous designer you want. If you don't see it, then you can go to the tailor, jeweler, or owner and have it custom made or ordered. Make sure you bargain hard, since they will try to rip off the foreigners. I talked down a lady from 1125 Yuan to 175 Yuan, so I only paid 15% of the price. Usually you pay about a third and no more than one-half.

If you didn't notice, I updated the look of my blog. I think it is a bit easier on the eyes.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Shenzhen and Hong Kong

2007-05-23T09:59:00.000-04:00

Monday morning I traveled down to Shenzhen. It was a two hour flight from the smallest airport I have flown out of, expect for my Uncle's airport in Arkansas for his crop dusting business. However, as usual, the service was great! I got served drinks twice and breakfast...all on a 2-hr flight. Didn't the US airlines offer service like this at one time or another?

I sat next to a cute Chinese girl and soon found out that she spoke great English. She works for Panasonic and travels to Shenzhen and other parts of the World regularly. When we landed, her driver took me to my hotel after dropping her off at work. That afternoon I did some work, which worked out great since it was raining the whole time. As night came I could not stay inside any longer and I headed out to go exploring. Shenzhen is an economic free trade zone. This makes for some awesome shopping! The video below does not do it justice, but is one of hundreds of streets to walk down. There is hardly a thing on the planet that is not offered here. Check it out...

The next day I planned to head to Hong Kong. I got up and it was still raining. I was reminded of my time in Vienna when it rained for a couple of days. So, I shrugged my shoulders and headed out. I thought I knew where the metro was located. I quickly found out that "Subway" in Shenzhen means a route under ground that will get you to the other side of the street, not to a train. So, I just kept walking. After thirty minutes of walking in the rain I found the station. I hopped on and went to the last stop. I exited and began going toward the border, but then did a quick 180 when I realized that I forgot my passport. Oops.

I was a bit more efficient getting back to the hotel and returning to the border. Although I did find a man standing in my room when I returned to the hotel. He was a hotel employee and was watching my TV. He was embarrassed that I "caught" him and he quickly exited. Funny stuff!

I got to Hong Kong and had a lovely ride from the border to the island. It was full of mountain with clouds hanging low all about them. I arrived and went straight for the water front. It was perfect timing; the rain stopped! I proceeded to see all I could in my short visit. Hong Kong is an incredible shopping city too. They even stock shoes in my size. Please check out the pics, videos, and my previous post to see and hear more about what I did.

This weekend will be another exciting one as I check out a party in Shanghai, possibly a band, some poker, some softball, and more.

Big Buddha and BBQ

2007-05-23T08:42:00.000-04:00

To catch up on a few things, I wanted to post some pics from Shaun's visit this past weekend. Shaun and I had some great food, got some local sight seeing accomplished, and attended a BBQ with a bunch of local-foreigners.

Liangshan and Wuxi Life BBQ

I have been traveling a bit since arriving in China and have not taken the time to explore my own time. Shaun and I went to Liangshan to see the tallest, standing Buddha. He stands about 300 feet tall. We walked around the area for a couple of hours exploring a museum, the beautifully landscaped grounds, and the view of the lake from the top.

That night we went to a BBQ hosted by the local expat organization, Wuxi Life. It was good food and great company. Before Shaun returned to Shanghai we got in a little bit of shopping. This marked to first day I tried to find shoes that fit me.

So, in China you may feel like a freak of nature at times. After trying a half dozen places in Wuxi, then several more in Shenzhen on Monday, I could not find anyone stocking a shoe bigger than a 44 (US9-10). Also, I wear large or extra large shirts here and everyone touting stuff on the streets seems to think I want a sex DVD. If my ego wasn't so big, I might feel a bit self conscious about all this. I wonder what did Yao Ming do before he made it big in the NBA? Or how many foreigners are really buying sex DVDs?

Next update will be my visit to Shenzhen and Hong Kong this week!

Felt like I was in the US today

2007-05-22T11:29:00.000-04:00

I have been in China one month now. Actually I "was" in China a month, but today I ventured out of the mainland and into Hong Kong. Right from the start when I walked up to the guy at the customs counter and he spoke he spoke perfect English to me, I knew I was in for a treat. I will tell all later, but I wanted to give a top ten of the things I loved about today. So, here I go...

Top ten things that made Hong Kong awesome:
1. Every Asian person I spoke to spoke English.
2. I ate cheese.
3. I sat down at a table with a fork and knife already on the table.
4. I found shoes that fit me (it seems that China carries nothing above a 44).
5. The lights on the buildings were in sync with the music during the nightly "Symphony of Lights."
6. I had a Brooklyn Brewery beer.
7. I drank the beer right from the bottle.
8. I returned to China with only HK$1.40 (I love exchanging the right amount of money).
9. I got served ice in my water.
10. Everyone understood what I was saying...the first time!

It was a nice break from the past month of struggling with the language and differences in culture. Now I am feeling refreshed and ready for the next few months. Thank you Hong Kong!

Bike to Work Day

2007-05-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

I hope you woke up this morning and decided to take your bike out and ride it to your job. Why? Because today is Bike to Work Day! Many cities around the US have organized events today, usually with free schwag to give away. I will admit that I walked to work today, since I have not gotten a bike in China yet.

If you didn't bike to work today, that is ok. Just try to make a conscious decision today to save energy or reduce waste, since that is what this day is about...Awareness!

China stuff...
This past week in China has been great, as all the past weeks here have been. Monday was spent recovering from the weekend's soreness. Tuesday I went to dinner with some local foreigners to a place they call "Chicken Street." This street was lined with people selling things on skewers. I picked out few different meats, some lotus root, potatoes, bread, greens, and a green pepper. I asked for it "hot". They brought everyones food together in one big tray. I ate chicken feet pads, some kind of tongue with soft bone separating each piece, and washed it all down with some cold brew. I will definitely be back there soon.

The rest of the week I have had lunches with my co-workers and I even attempted to cook last night. However, my plug-in stove would not work. So, the cooking will have to wait till that gets sorted out.

Shaun is coming to town. We are planning on doing a little sightseeing near my town and go to a BBQ. Next week I am off to Shenzhen in southern China. I will get to spend a day in Hong Kong too!

P.S. Seth and everyone at his bachelor party this weekend...have a great time! I am sorry I am missing this event. See you all in August!!

R.I.P: Raiford's

2007-05-15T22:02:00.000-04:00

After countless good times and memories (actually, I probably don't remember everything that happened), Raiford's in Memphis has closed its doors. I was lucky enough to visit this place one last time in March.

For those of you who don't know, Raiford's is a disco club. However, it was unique in many ways. It was small, off the beaten path (actually next door to the Memphis projects), always had groovy beats, and stayed open late. The dance floor lit up and was surrounded by mirrors and fog machines, with a pole for the more adventurous dancers. There was a drum kit to play on and plush couches to sit on. You could bring your own liquor or just buy the $6 40oz beers they offered. Yes, only 40 oz beers were sold. Many people, including myself, will miss Raiford's and the inevitable 5am stop at CK's that followed on the way home.