on Nov 20, 2009I figured out one way to put our excess heat to good use. It can keep my coffee hot! Since my coffeemaker is dead and I have to pour hot water in it to make the coffee, the warmer plate doesn't work either. So, Presto! Now I can have hot coffee anyti...

I Think I'm Turning Chinese
on Nov 17, 2009I really think so...One of my friends just arrived here and did not have a puffy coat; I was more than happy to give her my Magic Green Machine or aka Magic Green Puffy Coat because I was tired of green, my knees were cold and it looked better on her...

Me and My Oven
on Nov 15, 2009Finally after a year and a half, I can say I have an oven again- even if its a Chinese oven, its better than none. For those of you in the West this may sound strange to you. All homes have ovens right? Nope. Not in China. The convential oven that ma...

Ice, The 3-wheeler, Booze and Another Lesson Learned
on Nov 12, 2009As Jeff and I walked to our bus stop from the place where we happened to be last night, we went through a pedestrian tunnel that still had a couple snack sellers lying in wait for peckish home-goers. As we walked by their carts, one man hawked a big...

Dial For Donuts
on Nov 11, 2009One more thing that makes Beijing a great place to live...You can have anything delivered, even donuts. Add that to the list of who delivers that includes: Subway sandwhiches, Pizza (of course), McDonald's, KFC, and any other foreign place... Downsid...

In Snow
on Nov 10, 2009The heat has been turned on a 12 days early! That was a nice surprise! Especially after the big snow we just had...Here's some photos of us in case you've forgetten what we look like...I'll write more later. And after looking at the photo I posted o...

On Layering
on Nov 9, 2009It snowed again last night, a good 10 inches...we woke up to a think blanket that is perfect for covering over the garbage in the streets, the construction, and anything else that is ugly or dirty. The Snow Chefs are out; in between cooking the meals...

Tiger Dog
on Nov 6, 2009I have a friend who lives in southern China and we both agree that we would love to have one of these little guys even if they are painted. She says she sees them all the time...So cute! Last night we had 2 Russians, a German, a Finn and a Brit over...

Determination and Desperation
on Nov 5, 2009The backhoe was at it again last night. He started at 9:00pm and didn't stop until 4:00am. See the dark circles I have? I'm a tough one though...I keep telling myself that this is preperation for some kind of torture where one is irked to death by...

Next on My Reading List...
on Nov 5, 2009Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid Here's an excerpt from Amazon.com: Maarten Troost is a laowai (foreigner) in the M...