Spring has Sprung

It has been a long time since I wrote anything on these pages. I guess I just got out of the habit, and really didn't feel like I had much to say. But with the new green leaves (and all that wonderful pollen) and the increasing sunlight as the days get longer, I felt an urge to say something.

It has been a good year so far. It is brilliant to be able to say that, as last year was a very difficult one for me.

I have started a new job at Winston & Strawn, a lawfirm here in DC as a Trade Analyst, and although the hours will be long (as expected), I am feeling like my work matters and that I am being productive. As an added perk, my first work trip to China is coming in about a week and a half. As was the case when I was at the Department of Commerce, it is on the trips that you really begin to understand the cases you are looking at, and are able to connect with people from far away. It will be a learning experience for me, and I look forward to doing something challenging and new.

These days I feel like I am in a dream-like version of my own life, as the fun and love I am surrounded with just keeps coming. Between jobs, we went to Kaua'i for a week, and had a remarkable week of fun and laughter and excitement (some of it scary, some of it really cool). Between the hiking on the edge of a 2000' drop, seeing a White Tip Shark while snorkeling, and sitting in our hot tub on the deck sipping wine while the wind blew through the trees and the crash of waves sounded in the distance, it really could not have been a more wonderful week.

In the midst of so much sadness and loss and worry happening in the world, I almost feel guilty for being so happy, but have decided to revel in these good times. I could not have gotten through the last year without the support of friends, and I hope all of those experiencing hard times right now have even half as many wonderful people around them as I do.

I am just coming to the realization that this post sounds nothing like my usual self! I am finding the transition from being the real downer at the party to a happy person a strange one, so bear with me folks!

2 Great Causes...

So I've apparently gotten into this whole doing good thing. Never thought I would, but I guess in trying times you re-evaluate what you want to do and what impact you want to have. I hope you will join me.

So here it goes.

As many of you know, in November, I rode in El Tour de Tucson, which was 109-miles in one day (9 hours to be exact). In doing so, thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I raised $4,000+ for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the process. I had such a rewarding experience with the whole process, that I'm doing it all over again, this time 100-miles in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, in Tahoe. I know many of you donated last year to the cause, but please consider helping out again, as in the current economy families struggling with cancer are in ever more need of the services supplied by LLS. Read all about my training and experiences and find out where to donate here. I couldn't have done the last ride without the support of my friends, and I hope you'll all be with me again!

But I'm also going local. As pretty much the whole country knows, DC has some of the worst schools in the country. It is a rare instance when schools close for snow or anything else because a large percentage of kids get their only square meals in their school cafeterias. But it's not just that...the schools are crumbling. So the organization formerly known as DC for Obama is getting together to be involved in Servathon 2009. Our task is going to be spending the day May 2, 2009 painting classrooms, building playgrounds, landscaping, and I'm participating. If you can spare a dollar or two, please visit my page here to help out!

If you can't help out in either of these causes, get involved locally...PLEASE! Volunteer your time, your energy, your hearts to helping out those in need!

An Amazing Weekend...

I was going to write something long and attempt to be eloquent about this weekend in Washington, DC for the Inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, as my friend Ann over at Tragic Optimist did. But I realized nothing could possibly capture what it was like to be here, on the ground, as it was happening.

Beginning on Friday night the crowds began arriving, and the city was in full swing by Saturday night. Many of us residents were worried about the revised bar closing time of 5:00 AM, but our worries were for nothing. There was such a positive atmosphere, there were no incidents, no fights, no nothing! That feeling lasted all weekend, culminating in the explosion of excitement and joy when Barack took the oath of office.

Here are some of my favorite moments (in chronological order):

• Standing opposite the Lincoln Memorial with 400,000 other people, listening to The Boss and U2, then laughing at the spectacle of Jack Black trying to be serious and reciting Lincoln
• Rocking out to Moby spinning at a local club from 12am - 2am, then rocking that much harder after the power came back on again at 2:45am
• Showing up at RFK Stadium as part of the Day of Service on MLK Day, and realizing that 10,000 other people listened to Barack's call to serve on Monday just at that location alone!
• Waking up at 8am and realizing that the Mall was already 3/4 full of people, so having to book down to try and get as close to a jumbotron as possible
• Standing in a sea of a little under 2 million people chatting, laughing, and talking while we waited for the ceremony to start
• The roar of joy when each of the following showed up: Al Gore, Teddy Kennedy, Hillary & Bill Clinton, Michele Obama, Sasha & Malia Obama, and loudest of all, Barack Obama
• The thunderous boos when each of the following showed up: Clarence Thomas, Dick Cheney (also accompanied by laughter though), and George W. Bush
• The fact that 2 million people stopped and became perfectly silent for 10 minutes while a quartet including Itzak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma played Classical Music (Air and Simple Gifts, arranged by John Williams in this case)
• Watching Barack Hussein Obama take the Oath of Office, and feeling the surge of joy and hearing the roar of the crowd.

And that was my experience....I will leave you with a picture, that I feel captures the mood of the whole weekend:

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.