Things to Do

So I read this fun post on The Tragic Optimist, and decided coming up with my answers to the meme would be a fun thing to do the night before I start a new job, so here it goes

The 100 Things to Do list…
Things in life I’ve done in underline
Things I’d like to do in red
I’ve added comments in parentheses

1. Started your own blog (yep…which is why you’re reading this now!)
2. Slept under the stars (in college…camping…etc…)
3. Played in a band (I would never wish that on anyone – musical skills are nada)
4. Visited Hawaii (favorite place on earth…especially Kauai!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (since I never feel like I have given enough I don’t know what will be more than I can afford, but I would like to someday get up the courage really sacrifice for something more important than my own comfort…)
7. Been to Disneyland (tons of times…one of the benefits of growing up in Southern California and having an aunt who lived 15minutes away from the happiest place on earth…my favorite time was when I was “Queen of the Morning” in Fantasy land!)
8. Climbed a mountain (well…sort of – see this post)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (hah! – see also #3)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (ah…Paris…)
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I would love to REALLY learn photography…)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (I’ve been to China a lot…’nuf said)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (does a couple of peppers and some tomatoes count?)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (actually, I’ve been to the Louvre several times, but never thought fighting the hordes to see this one painting was worth it when there was so much incredible art everywhere around me…)
20. Slept on an overnight train (Europe & China)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (hasn’t everyone?)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (I think I have a vague memory of doing this in High School, but I’m not sure)
27. Run a Marathon (and never will…though I did just ride 109 miles over 9 hours on my bike – I think that counts right?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (oddly, though I was in Venice, I missed this…I’ll have to go back and try it)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (almost every day in High School…I’d drive down to the beach and do my homework and watch the sun set…not a bad way to live)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (and have no desire to…unless it’s one of those ultra-riche Caribbean sailing cruises, which I’ll never be able to afford anyway)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (who wouldn’t want to go to the Czech Republic?)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (I guess immersion doesn’t count…but does pig latin?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (see also #16)
39. Gone rock climbing (while I’ve done it in the safety of REI, I’d love to really get into this and climb out west…)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (I tortured friends with the caterwauling on March to the Reub night in 1998)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (who wouldn’t???)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (Egypt fascinates me…)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (one of my favorite things in the world to do – everything in the world that is bad in your life seems so much less important walking in the dim light with the ocean crashing next to you…)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (*sigh* only been half-way so I guess I’ll have to go back)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I’d like to do both someday, but for now I’ve only been snorkeling and adore it)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business with a partner
58. Taken a martial arts class (Aikido…loved it while it lasted…)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (see also #6)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (one more benefit of living in San Diego as a child…field trip every year to watch the Humpback Wales migrate)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (though it really wasn’t my fault – the check was 3 years old from a bank account in a state I no longer lived in and had closed 2 years prior - they modified the date to make it not stale-dated and tried to cash it…I almost sued them when they reported me to a credit agency, but it wasn’t worth the hassle for only $25)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (would anyone actually say they wanted to do this??? Hmmm...)
    
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (this one’s beyond cool…I was standing on stage behind Obama the day after he clinched the nomination…and the picture on the front page of the Washington Post was one with me in it, standing right behind and between Obama and Tim Kaine…)
85. Read the entire Bible (close though...even though I've never been to Church, I always found the Bible itself fascinating...)
    
86. Visited the White House (but I may try now since I like the fellow that’s going to take over!)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I guess I never want to be in a position of someone needing my saving if you know what I mean…)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (former VP Mondale and Nicholas Kristof were the coolest ones…)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (this one is a question still…so I’m not going to say I want to…YET…)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
    
100. Read an entire book in one day

I guess that's the list...and if you got through that you're quite a patient person!

Things I Am Thankful For

After seeing a list on my friend's blog here, I thought I should make my own on this Thanksgiving Day. Note that this is in no particular order...

• good wine
• the best friends ever
• a warm toasty home
• that I am not in Mumbai
• Pandora music on my iPhone
• fire (cause without it we wouldn't have great food...or coffee...or warm crackling fireplaces)
• coffee
• that I reconnected with long-lost family
• Doug
• that I have some skill in the kitchen
• beauty in all its forms
• ...

Thank you to everyone who has made this last challenging year better for me, and for bearing with my uncertainties and insecurities. Your support (you know who you are...) has helped me make it through when I thought I'd never make it.

So on this Thanksgiving Day, let's take a moment to think about those who are hurting, hungry, or need us, and vow to help in the next year in any way we can....

It Never Rains But....

I had a plan. It was a good plan. It was organized and ready to go. First, I would finish the fundraising and the 109-mile bike ride. Then I would finish studying for the GMAT and finish my business school applications. Then I would find some causes to work for while I was waiting to find out what would happen with my applications, take a couple of classes (Chinese and Calculus), and work on a fall-back position for if I didn't get into business school. HAH!

Well, as often happens in life, a new twist entered the mix. Turns out after all this time I'm going to be gainfully employed again. It's very exciting and terrifying at the same time. However, I'm excited about the new job (even if it is in DC). And it gives me an excuse to go shopping (though I guess I won't be able to sit in my robe until 11am anymore....).

New job for a new year....guess it's fitting!

Yes We Did

Last night's election was inspiring for many people, disappointing for many others. But for me, it was a moment I will remember forever.

Happenings....And Pictures

So I am truly a bad blogger, in that I have had almost nothing to say for a while now. However, I thought I should take a couple of minutes to at least give a minuscule nod to the idea that I do have a blog that is not dedicated to my training for my 109 mile bikeride. Really...the training and the fundraising has been taking most of my creative energy these days, which I guess is kind of pathetic that I can't drum up any additional effort to write a couple of words here on this blog that I started almost exactly a year ago.

Yes...it was a year ago that I began this little blog. I started it in an effort to communicate with friends and family while I jumped off a bridge and flew off to China for 3 months. It then morphed into musings on life, the universe, and everything, but ended up a little boring as once I returned from China last December I didn't have much to say. Searching for work, searching for your goals in life, etc., etc., apparently doesn't lend itself to much communication with the outside world.

But I thought I could take this time to list a few things that I have learned over the last year:

1. I am not as open-minded and able to adapt easily as I always imagined myself. My trip to China taught me where my boundaries are and where I need to let go and let life be life rather than trying to control it.
2. Looking for a job sucks. I mean really sucks. While I have had some incredible validation from some amazing people that I "should" be able to find a job (and have come relatively close a couple of times), the reality is decidedly more humiliating and confidence-crushing. The only thing that has gotten me through is having wonderful friends that have done their damnedest to keep my spirits up...but it still sucks!
3. Tangential to #2 is I've learned that I have the BEST FRIENDS EVER!!!
4. I need to stop thinking so much about what is logical and expected, but start thinking about what will make me happy and make the world a better place.
5. Control over one's life is completely impossible, despite my best efforts. Every day now I am having to learn all over again that I don't know what is going to happen, and if I try to make the future conform to my ideas of what it should be I will go insane.
6. Doing something difficult and new for someone else is amazingly rewarding, and the payoff is seeing these numbers rise...

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive in the last year...it has meant the world to me...

I'll leave you for now with some of my favorite photos from this last year:




Hopefully I'll find a new voice and you'll hear from me again soon.

What To Do Next?

Well, it has been almost a year since I left my job at the Department of Commerce, and I have to say, this is not where I thought I would be. I took the leap, got out of a job that had taught me a lot but also created un-abating frustrations, and did something that I had always wanted to do but never had the courage to do - run off to China and learn Mandarin. My experience in Beijing was unique, I learned a lot, and it only reinforced my love of China and my interest in continuing to be a part of the extraordinary development happening there.

At first, I did not think that much about what would be next, in that I decided to take the next logical step and look for a job in China using what I already knew and the skills I already had. That first leap, largely due to the current economic woes, while teasingly close to getting me what I wanted, fell apart at the last minute in April. What I had been working towards, however, lacked forethought and personal discovery of exactly what I wanted to do with my life, and what I wanted my life to mean.

Since April I have been spending a lot of time in self-discovery, as I find job postings that would have excited me a year ago merely ok. I've seen friends get married, attended a college reunion, and met a bunch of new friends. I have done some volunteer work for the Obama campaign, spent a lot of time exploring my creative side in the kitchen, and generally re-evaluating my life. The conclusion I have come to is that I am tired of the easy path I chose for myself. I want to do something meaningful, important, and most importantly help people.

As a first step, I decided to get off my tired rear end and DO something, which is why I signed up to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while training for a 109-mile bike ride. Fundraising is nothing I have ever done before, but I find it incredibly rewarding to see each individual donation appear here.

But still the larger question is how to take my past experiences and roll them into a longer-term life experience. In my time in China I have seen some horrible things, from labor conditions, to living quarters, to thick films on rivers and lakes, to toxic hazes over cities. My own experiences in Beijing left my lungs feeling like I had been a pack-a-day smoker my whole life. I have met some incredible people in my time in China, and I wonder why they should have to live in that kind of environment, and feel bad that I have not done more to help over the years.

The problem is, right now, I feel like I lack the knowledge to meaningfully contribute to helping businesses bring environmental technologies to China and work with the government to get them executed. So I am thinking of going back to school to merge my business and government experience with study of emerging environmental technologies. Who knows if this is the right decision, but at least I will be moving towards bringing a better life to the myriad people I have met over the years. But for now, I will be spending the next month studying for the GMAT (standardized tests...the bane of my existence), and deciding what schools would best serve the purpose I have chosen...

I would love to hear from friends and family about life-changing decisions you made, and how you knew what you were doing was the right decision.

Silly Cat

A little while ago, we received a shipment from my Aunt in a very large box with a bunch of packing peanuts. Hilarity ensued (I'll let the pictures speak for themselves):


And my personal favorite (apparently packing peanuts are YUMMY!):

Excuses....

Not that very many people read this blog or anything, but I thought I'd write a mea culpa about why I have been so lax about writing. (A bit ironic no? writing about not writing...hmmm....must think on that some more)

Well, I haven't had much to say these days, as not much has been going on in my life. One would think, with a bunch of free time, tons of (surprisingly) good weather, and generally a world-is-my-oyster time period, a person of moderate creativity could find a way to make something interesting happen. I guess I'm just not one of those people. I've been reading, relaxing, and generally taking stock of my life. I have decided that I have no idea what I want my life to be, and have started setting out to figure out what I really want out of this strange world called life. I know I want to work, I know I want to contribute, and I know I want to use my (not small, if I do say so myself) skills dealing with China. But that's about where it ends.

So I have been silent as a ghost. I do believe, unless something momentous happens, that I may be silent for a bit to come as well - as I am not one for posting my innermost thoughts on the web for posterity to read. If you, dear reader, happen to stumble upon this post in your wanderings though the web, know that I am here delving into the strange world that is my dreams for the future...whatever those are. But for the moment, I may only say hello occasionally to my web-friends (whomever you may be)...

In the meantime, I will be blogging quite extensively here, as I train for a century bike ride (109 miles to be precise) with my other half, which will occur in Tuscon, AZ in November. I'll be raising money for a great cause, so stop by here if you would be so kind and help a cancer surviver.

Road Trip to a Great Wedding

Like many people these days, I’m amazed at how expensive flying has become. Day was, you could fly from Washington, DC to Chicago for about $120-$150. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. But we had to go to Chicago for our friend Catherine’s wedding, so we decided to take a road trip. We drove from Washington, DC through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, to Chicago, IL. There were some great sights along the way, including this really cool wind farm in Somerset, PA:

Given the amount of time we had on the road, Doug and I had a bunch of time to discuss all sorts of issues, including how cool an old-fashioned drive-in called Swensen’s is (read about our meal there, and other thoughts on our road food on my other blog here):

Also discussed was why this truck was hauling an electronic bull across Indiana, seen at a rest stop somewhere on the Indiana Turnpike:
But most importantly of course was seeing our great friend Catherine get married after 10+ years with John. The ceremony was lovely, with an emphasis on reading really wonderful poems and quotes and such (I have to admit I did tear up a bit a couple of times). We hung out with a few friends, blew some bubbles outside Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago, goofed around a bit, and generally had fun celebrating with our friend:

Kayaking in Connecticut, and Waterfalls in New York City

This week I am in New York City, taking advantage of the fact that Doug is at a conference in Manhattan to wander around the city where we may end up before the end of the year. Although we both would rather be back on the West Coast, life, the universe, and everything, is conspiring to make us believe we will likely end up here in New York before long. Since his conference was immediately preceded by the Fourth of July long weekend, we decided to visit our long-lost friends who moved to South Norwalk, Connecticut in March. They have a lovely two bedroom little house with a back deck abutting a hillside (to read about our fun grilling on the deck check out my post here), and we spent a relaxing weekend drinking wine and chatting about life.

By Sunday we were all ready to get out and about, and had a great time renting sea kayaks in Rowayton, CT and paddling out to the Long Island Sound past the most ridiculously large houses you’ve ever seen. I don’t have any pictures of the kayaking adventure, because I didn’t bring my waterproof camera, but here’s a picture of Rowayton looking out towards the sound past all the adorable boats:

We got into New York City on Monday afternoon, had some great Indian food at Tiffin Wallah (how can you beat $6/person for a delicious, authentic, buffet?), then relaxed in our lovely hotel room with a view of downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge in the evening and caught up on our sleep.

Today I was on my own as Doug attended the conference. For the first time, I decided to do something really touristy (but not TOO touristy), and take a boat cruise to see the new installation art piece called Waterfalls. Funded by the Public Art Fund, it is a series of four artificial waterfalls created over the river, including one under the Brooklyn Bridge and one on Governor’s Island. I went early in the day to avoid the hordes, and it was well worth it, as I was one of only 10 people on a huge boat to see the falls. I am always intrigued by large-scale installation art, and found it to be really lovely, although I found the one under the Brooklyn Bridge to be the most organic and with the best sense of place. Here are a few photos from the morning:

This afternoon I wandered up to Chelsea Market, and was heartily disappointed by what I saw. I guess it’s a factor of the changing costs associated with the neighborhood, but what was supposed to be a great place to buy meat, fish, and vegetables directly from vendors, apparently has lost much of that character. On the bright side, it does appear they are trying to turn it into something resembling the Ferry Building in San Francisco (which I adore). This evening, Doug and I will be trying to get in to Tia Pol for dinner, about which I will blog over here tomorrow.

Fun Quiz

I'm part of a group that sends out China-related business information, and fortunately they also insert some levity into the situation as well. A link to a website was included in the most recent email. I read it and got a huge kick out of it. Anyone who has spent time in China is alternately terrified, annoyed, or amused, by the apparent lack of any meaningful logic to the way people drive. I have generally concluded that it is survival of the fittest, i.e., whomever gets there first, and woe the person who tries to buck that system!

I'd suggest you take the driving quiz...it's quite amusing!

Fun with Tags from Other Blogs

So…I’m new to this whole tagging thing, but I’ve been tagged by The Tragic Optimist, and since she’s such a great friend, I’ll indulge her. Plus I guess I haven’t blogged in like 2 months so I should get off my rear end and say something, lest you all think I’m a total loser!

I guess the tagging thing works like this: you are posed a list of questions, which you subsequently answer in your blog, then tag some other people. Ugh…answering questions…

Here goes nothing:

What was I doing 10 years ago?

• Exactly what I am doing right now (weird huh? It’s like I’ve come full circle):
  
• being unemployed
• trying to discover where I fit in in the world
• trying to motivate myself to get back in shape
• Graduating college and learning how to live in the “real world”

What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

• Work out then go to the pool
• Cook something really yummy for dinner
• Apply to two jobs
• Try not to melt in the blistering heat
• Update my blogs

Snacks I enjoy….

• Chips & Salsa or Guacamole
• Wine (is that a snack?)
• Blueberries
• Potato Chips

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• Buy a little place on the beach somewhere
• Endow a charity to help fund education in rural China
• Pay off all my debts and the debts of my family
• Travel around the world doing voluntourism and learning how to cook in kitchens of wonderful people everywhere
• Move to San Francisco and open a restaurant to help at-risk teenagers learn a trade

Places I have lived:

• San Diego (the first 18 years...)
  
• Northfield, MN (2 addresses, 4 years)
• Minneapolis, MN (2 addresses, 3 years)
• Arlington, VA (3 addresses in the same building, 2 1/2 years)
  
• Washington, DC (in our first owned home, 2003 - present)
  
• Beijing, China (2 addresses, once in college, once at a homestay)
• Maastricht, the Netherlands (in college)
  

Jobs I have had:

• Office Assistant, Financial Aid Office at Carleton
• Barrista
• Cashier
• Project Analyst
• Marketing Manager
• International Trade Analyst for the US Government
• Independent Consultant

Bloggers I’m tagging for this meme…

• David, Angela & Rowan
  
• All About Charlotte
• Gwinn in MN
• You…since I really don’t have any other blog-friends :-)

Hope I did ok on my first meme....

Save the Honeybees?

I just saw the strangest thing....

It's an ad from Haagen Dazs, which I saw for the first time on TV today. I guess by now we've all heard about hive collapse disorder (bees are disappearing at an alarming rate and no one seems to know why as of yet...). It's a little odd to think that we've reached the point where an ice cream company is making commercial to save the bees! Then I think about it some more, and I wonder how soon it will be until we have a really serious problem in our food supply due to not enough honeybees (to say nothing of the crisis right now due to food prices in the developing world).

Just some food for thought.

Oh, I'm back in DC for those who are wondering...

Bird’s Nest in Beijing

I have come to the firm conclusion that race walking should never be considered an Olympic sport. I mean seriously, they are WALKING!!! That being said, these people get some killer speed under their belts, as today the finishing time for the Men’s 50km Race Walk was 3 hours and about 45 minutes. Pretty insane if you ask me, even if they do look a little silly walking really fast…

But the highlight of the day, and really the only reason to go was to get inside the cool new national stadium, the Bird’s Nest. It really is exceptionally cool from the outside, as it is completely open in design with nothing but curved steel from ground to top.

The inside looks like pretty much every other stadium I’ve been in, other than the weird elementary school looking seats, but the outside is spectacularly intricate, and I had a “how did they do that” moment. And talk about attention to detail, even the walkway lights are formed to look like the big structure!

Many Meetings…(the Opposite of Many Partings for those LOTR Fans Out There).

Well, it has been a crazy couple of days here in Beijing. I have had worse-than-usual jetlag, and have gotten maybe 4-5 hours of sleep each night, despite being so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open in the evening. Oh, and the rampant allergies haven’t helped either. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to be staying with a friend with an air purifier, and brought plenty of cough drops and eye drops!

But the real highlight of the week has been the many meetings. I had the interview I originally flew out for on Wednesday, which went OK, but I wish I had felt better about it. Then Thursday I ended up meeting with another company downtown right off Wanfujing (the main pedestrian shopping street, relatively close to Tiananmen Square). That meeting lasted about an hour and a half, and the two people I met with seemed like very interesting people. More importantly, it appeared as if they were interested in me, and began asking me leading questions about salary expectations and timeframes. I’m not sure if they are a firm I would want to work for as of yet, but it’s nice to know you made a good impression.

I thought that would be the end of my meetings for the time here (other than buying lunch for a great guy who has helped me immensely with advice and connections here). However, the universe had different ideas. I woke up this morning thinking I’d relax, maybe go shopping, maybe go to the gym and relax after a stressful couple of days. Instead, I got another call from the originally company (from Wednesday…I am avoiding using names on purpose here, not to confuse everyone!), asking me to come back in to meet with a couple of the senior managers. There was an inkling that this might happen, as one of the senior managers couldn’t make it on Wednesday due to client meetings, but it is a good sign that I didn’t totally flub my interview, despite the lack of preparedness and jetlag.

So here I am, biding my time until 2:30pm, when I have to get back into my suit and head back downtown. Here’s hoping it goes well and they don’t throw me for a loop on their questions again!

Oh, and tomorrow (Saturday), I head off to one of the cool Olympic venues to watch the first event ever to be held at the Bird’s Nest (where the Opening Ceremonies will be held)….and it’s gonna be….Race Walking! Hopefully they’ll let us take in cameras, and I’ll definitely post pictures of the festivities.

Hmmm....Just Cottonwood Pollen?

I arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon at the new airport terminal. While customs was a mess, due to not enough lines for the three 747s arriving at the same time, and the epic journey from the far end to baggage claim on the tram, it was pretty cool to see the fancy new airport. Plus I noticed the duty free shopping on the way home should be pretty nice!

It is odd to be back here again so soon, and it's starting to seem like old hat to have meetings, then sit and send a bunch of emails to set up more meetings. Plus, it's great to see the friends and eat the good food on a regular basis. I had my interview today, for those who are wondering, and though my jetlag wreaked havoc on my brain at the beginning (who knew they would ask me specific Chinese policy questions???), I did enjoy talking to all four of the interviewers over the course of the hour and fifteen minutes I was at the company. I have been told that they will likely make a decision by the end of the week, so this may all come together (or not) very quickly. Kind of daunting, but I guess I have been working towards this for a while.

On the "will I really live here" front, I thought I would share this lovely image of Beijing with all of you:


And no, this is not rain, nor fog, nor a result of the (massive) amount of cottonwood pollen in the air. It is what you all think ladies and gentleman...like Los Angeles on a bad day in the 1980s. It does make you wonder what the long-term effects of this kind of air will do to a person, and whether several years here will have any consequences from a health perspective. That being said, it is most definitely a priority of the government to fix this huge issue, and hopefully they have the power to do so for all our sakes...

Inspired By A Presidential Candidate for the First Time in My Life

It is no secret that I have been a long-time supporter of Barack Obama. I am inspired by his eloquence, and his unexpected commitment to doing things differently (the first time I went to a volunteer meeting the first thing they told us is NEVER say anything bad about the other candidates....only good things about Barack).

However, even I was amazed and impressed by his speech yesterday. There will always be those who will say this is not enough, or it was a political ploy. However, he wrote this speech by himself, and clearly spoke from his heart - a rarity in American politics. It is my hope that America is ready for a person who actually speaks in the nuance that is the reality of the world, as opposed to being overly concerned by the sound bite do or die.

I am for the first time in my life truly inspired to step beyond myself and commit to a cause on a National level. Those who know me out there know I am quite a cynic, so may be surprised to learn that I plan on going up to Pennsylvania and dedicating whatever time the Obama campaign needs to win the primary there. I am proud to support a candidate who supports a majority of my policy priorities...and who steps beyond the traditional nasty poll-driven politics and says what he thinks and believes.

I suggest everyone listen to the speech in its entirety. Though it is 40 minutes long, no speech on race issues in America should be any shorter, and I believe this one is truly a landmark in American politics.

Back in DC

Well, I didn't blog over the last couple of weeks, despite promises to various people to the contrary. Sorry about that folks. Been various reasons for not doing so, but needless to say I'm back in DC, and for those of you who are wondering I had a productive trip to China, I am happy to be home, and am now at home suffering from the Martian Death Flu (or so I am dubbing it).

For those of you who attended Carleton College from 94-98, you might remember the great Martian Death Flu epidemic of 1997...it has apparently returned this year (another friend in Minnesota recently recovered after a bout of this year's version). I am progressing and on the mend, after a brutal few days, which is a good thing, because I have a busy 2nd half of the week planned.

Back in Beijing Again

I have to admit, it is a little surreal to be back in Beijing so soon after I left, especially since I’m in such an exceptionally different circumstance. Whereas in the Fall I was faced with challenges of my own limits, a language barrier, health issues, and many other issues, now it is so simple and easy. I am fortunate enough to have wonderful friends that are letting me stay with them while I’m here, which makes the experience that much more real in a lot of ways. (Real in a…so this is what it would be like to have my own apartment in Beijing sort of way…).

Despite the fact that this is a working trip for me, in that I am meeting with people, talking to various firms, etc., I have been enjoying myself immensely. There are a lot of very interesting folks who live here, and it is always fascinating to have the “how did you end up here” conversation. I have been taking advantage of the fact that I didn’t have any meetings this week to really get out and about and talk with random people. I have also been pleasantly surprised at how much my Chinese stuck around, though I have these weird holes in my memory for completely random words that I should remember. I am sure that will all resolve itself in time as I use the language on a daily basis. Last night I went to a happy hour with a friend and had 80% of a conversation for about an hour in Chinese…it made me feel really good about the effort I put in last fall. One nice thing is that my instinct from my trip here this fall to always be using Chinese has stuck around, and apparently my accent is still sufficient that people usually respond in kind. Hopefully I won’t totally disappoint my old tutor when I meet her for dinner on Sunday…

One unfortunate item of note: I was going to go skiing with a friend this weekend…which would have been really cool, if for no other reason than I could say I went skiing in Beijing…but it’s been so nice and warm that there’s nothing but ice left on the slopes. So no dice on my big plans for the weekend.

For those of you interested in my job search news, I have spent a good amount of time on the phone with some very interesting people, and I have some meetings set up for next week, so I’m feeling decent about where I am. While I would love something to just fall in my lap, I know that’s just not very likely, so I am just enjoying the experience for now.

Random Plug for Me...

I wanted to make a shameless plug for my own publicity...

I was working at the polls as the Obama precinct captain (which basically meant hanging out by the polling place, waving signs, and answering voter questions encouraging them to vote for Obama) during our Primary here on February 12th. As a result I was there when someone from a women-orientated political website came by asking why I was supporting Obama. So I was interviewed on video. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they'll ever get my moment of fame video on their website (it being a week later and there being bigger political fish to fry), but my sentiments were mentioned on this post on their website...

Kinda silly, but fun!

Is this February???

Today is quite a bizarre day. I wouldn't believe it is February unless I looked at the Calendar!

		Washington DC, Reagan National Airport Lat: 38.86 Lon: -77.03 Elev: 16 Last Update on Feb 18, 12:52 pm EST
Mostly Cloudy 72°F (22°C) Humidity: 37 % Wind Speed: W 17 G 26 MPH Barometer: 29.50" (998.9 mb) Dewpoint: 44°F (7°C) Visibility: 10.00 mi. More Local Wx: 3 Day History:

Though I know the temp is going to drop very quickly this evening, today has just been too good to be true! Boy am I ever happy I left Minnesota, where it's currently 10-degrees!

Happy President's Day everyone!

Where to Now?

I have spent a lot of time thinking about what is next in my career, and trying to balance the warring sides of my nature: the one who searches out comfort, and the one who searches for a way to do good. How does one satisfy both? Can one satisfy both? Since returning from China, I have come to the conclusion that I really want to continue my career path along its track to spend more time in China, promoting Chinese economic development through trade and business. But the question I am debating is how best to do that?

In the end, Doug and I agreed that we wanted some new adventure in our lives. Both of us have usually done the "safe" thing. We didn't go off into the wild blue yonder and teach English in China, or backpack through Europe for a summer. Instead we found jobs and started our careers, him in Finance, me in Marketing and International Trade. Now we've reached a point when we know we're nearing the end of the time in our lives when we can take a lot of big risks. So we've decided that the best way to have an adventure and yet still maintain a certain amount of comfort and security is to find jobs in China. I for one have always wanted to live and work overseas. I believe it provides a unique opportunity to explore other cultures and meet people from all walks of life.

To that end, I'm once again going back to Beijing to meet people and do informational interviews, but this time only for a few weeks, not the 3 months of last time. I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of interesting people, and determining, on a more real-world basis, where I fit in in the professional world. While I know what I want to do (i.e., market entry strategy consulting), my goal for this trip is to find out what the world at large will LET me do!

I'm looking forward to the next step, and jumping into a new adventure!

Did We Really Climb to 15,000+ feet?

Lijiang:

This town was most definitely the highlight of the trip. However, we’re also convinced that we’d hate it in any other time than off-season. This opinion was reinforced by the statements of our new friends at Sexy Tractor...a great resource for local info in town actually, and one of the most pleasant porches to hang out on for a day, watching the world walk by on the cobblestone streets below you.

I guess I’m at a loss on how to really describe Lijiang. Where Dali was a quaint town that had been overrun by tourist-led renovations, Lijiang somehow managed to keep its character as an old town where people actually lived their lives. As we wandered the backstreets of the old city, I was struck by how much it was a lived-in city, with all the qualities of a small, happy town, and full of people who had lived there for generations. In most of China I have found that the cities have been built with a plan to an extent that one city feels and looks very much the same as another. Lijiang was the exception. Yes, parts have the feeling of a bad theme park as flag-toting tourist guides lead baseball-cap-clad Chinese tourists, but once you leave the main drag shopping streets it’s like you’ve stepped back in time and into another world populated by women wearing traditional Naxi clothing, hawking their vegetables down the alleyways. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves because all narrative in my stilted prose would fail to do it justice:

Oh, and did I mention that on our second day in Lijiang we accidentally hiked up to 4680 meters? Yes, most of it was accomplished by a gondola, but we sincerely thought we were only going up to 3000 meters, and then we get on the gondola and we just kept going up. There’s a stunning mountain in the Lijiang area called Yu Long Xue Shan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), which you can see from pretty much everywhere, being as it towers up to 5,600 meters (18,360 feet) over the valley.

We were amazed at how long it took to hike up from 4506 meters to 4680 meters (the upper terminus of where silly tourists like us can go): two hours! But frankly it was worth it. We definitely had some oxygen and pressure issues – Doug on the way up, and me on the way down - we ate tons of food that night, and the cost was ridiculous for China (RMB 220 per person), but for the first time in my life I understand why there is an urge to climb mountains. The quiet and hugeness of it all was breathtaking (or maybe that was the lack of oxygen?). But in the end I can say I was at 15,354 feet…

One final note on Lijiang before I close out the China portion of the blog. A lot of places in the world have become replicas of themselves and many people have consistently argued that globalization creates homogenization of cultures and the loss of tradition and history amongst indigenous cultures and minority peoples. While not an opponent of globalization by any means, I have always been somewhat conflicted about the tradeoffs between significant increases in quality of life and health and life expectancy, and the loss of traditional values and entire cultures to the advent of “modern” life. In Lijiang we encountered something truly surprising. When all the annoying tour groups were gone from the streets and the tourist shops began closing their doors, something amazing happened in the central square every night. Young local people began converging in the square to dance and socialize. One evening we even saw an adorable old woman with an ecstatic smile on her face dancing circles around the younger women and men, teaching by example the joy she had for her traditions and culture. I took a short video, which doesn’t begin to capture the experience, but gives you a taste of the music, singing, and ritual to it all.

And so, I leave you with that for now...