Weekend Update

I have a few odds and ends to write about so I'm going to just throw them all into one big rambling post.

First, here's this week's construction update. There has been quite a bit of activity this week with lots of work on the site's infrastructure. A third piling rig showed up but they haven't done anything with them yet. And of course, work continues on the wall.

Second, last week at work was pretty crappy. Not the worst week ever but definitely in the top ten. My spirits were lifted, however, when on the way to the office Saturday morning, I passed this Chinese woman on a bicycle wearing a t-shirt that said, "Don't call me a cowgirl until you've seen me ride." I'm sure she didn't have any idea what it said but I thought it was good for a chuckle. Anyway, it put me in a better mood.

Item 3 - Bright Lights, Big City

Just like John Mellencamp, we too live on the outskirts of town. Only this town's a whole lot bigger than his. We're on the east side of town so the entire city of Shanghai lies to the west of here. There's really nothing to the east except an industrial park and a GM factory, before it runs into the sea. There's not a whole lot to see out here but we still enjoy the view, especially after spending the last year on the ground floor where we couldn't see anything. I was out on the balconies one evening this week just after sundown trying out the low light setting on my camera. Here are a couple of pictures.

Lastly, we rode over to the far side of town today to check out the textile market. Kristi had heard of this place where you could just about anything made and she wanted to see about some slip covers and a couple of rugs. This place is unbelievable with stall after stall of shops where you can get custom made curtains and bedding and rugs. It's overwhelming, to say the least. And I think this is the only place I have ever been in China where I did not see another white person. We were truly in "Indian country" as they used to say in less politically correct times.

This is just one of the dozens of aisles of vendors. And this went on for three floors in two buildings.

We went over to Section 2 but couldn't find the Clintons anywhere.

You know, every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man. This picture was taken at 2:30 in the afternoon so I don't know if he was still in his pajamas from the night before or if he was aiming on turning in early tonight. Actually, I've been told that wearing your pajamas all day is a status thing here. It shows that you're wealthy enough that you don't have to worry about getting dressed and going to work.

Remember that mini-bike you had when you were a kid? Yeah, it's still running.