40:07 into this morning’s run on my ninth day living in China; that is when I was detained by Chinese security. And the run was going so well. Look where I was: Yeah. Beautiful running route. No one out on this elite school campus yet but a legion of groundskeepers, security & myself. For…
Month: August 2017
I’m Going to Show Them
Yeah. This is how it’s done. I charged into ICBC bank on Hongmei Road like I owned the joint. Shit, I live across the way now. And I’ve been here nearly 6 days. I’m going to show the 2 Caucasian ladies waiting how an American in China does business. I went straight to the futuristic…
Sometimes,
this is breakfast: No milk in the cereal and a small serving of fruit. But I’m not eating the bowls of ramen or rice with eggs. And I’m not sure what’s in the seaweed. It’s all complimentary so I’d be eating like a king if it was a vegan joint. Crap. I feel bad. A…
Fortuned Freak
That’s the supremely interesting thing about traveling: even when things look the same upon first glance, just look closer. China now is a vastly different place than it was even 15 years ago. It’s far more open, cosmopolitan, even influenced by Western ideas. However, it is still a completely unique place all its own. My…
Running Shanghai: The First 8 Lessons
It’s hot & humid as hell here. That’s lesson #1. Knew it’d be hot, but not like South Texas. Therefore, I am being forced to transition from an early evening runner to a wicked early morning runner. That meant starting out at 0620 today. But on a school day, it will mean starting my run…
I’m Getting There…
As I lift my pumpkin seeds with chopsticks, I reflect on my first 46 hours in Shanghai… I’m in Veggie Gather, The all Vegetarian joint that fooled a 17 year vegan. I was traumatized as I ate dinner here last night seeing late in the meal that small chunks of pork were mixed in with…
Shredded, abbreviated
As we wait together outside gate E75 in Toronto’s gleaming airport,I am one of the few non-Chinese ready to board. Seemingly alone, I am free; yet weighted. Why have I shredded my existence? Perhaps that’s a bit harsh. But I never would’ve planned on discarding a majority of my film library. It was like walking…
Oh Canada!
This is my new life, which I embrace exuberantly: preparing to touch down in a foreign nation–yes, Canada is indeed another nation!–having no idea where I will lay my head tonight. Sun shining brightly over our Bombardier CRJ100’s robin blue wings. We circle the airport once, then twice for good measure. Prosperous neighborhoods of tidy…
Today I Am Moving to…Canada?!
Well, I thought I was moving to China today. Not even a layover in Toronto was scheduled; just a quick transfer. However, the Air Canada plane scheduled to depart from Northern Kentucky would not start. That’s a bad sign. I would not feel confident getting into a plane experiencing “mechanical failure.” Surprisingly, only one Air…
Don't Let My Parents Read This 