New Years Eve

It has been an interesting year, not the best year I ever had, but far from the worst.  Made some new friends, caught up with some old ones, and learned a few things along the way.  The weather outside is crisp and cold, really pleasant so long as you aren't working in it. 

I expect the New Year will bring more challenges and discoveries.  I am looking forward to it.  After all I did get the almond in the Risgrynsgröt.

Shanghai Survey Truck

Now those that have been patiently following along know how much I loved the CalTrans approved Shanghai Team Survey truck.  And since maintenance is a vital part of survey operations I thought I would introduce our factory authorized service representative:

He is the guy on the right.  The tent with the cheerful red and blue strips is both his shop and his home.  For various reasons we would see him about once a week, usually for a flat tire, but occasionally for some other tweak or fix.  He always wore a smile.  He most certainly overcharged the lao wài (foreigners), we didn't mind.   Never did learn his name.

Not sure who the woman is, but she really wanted to be in the picture.    Notice the bright red box in the background?  In that box is $40,000 worth of survey equipment.  Security never said a word to us about carrying it back and forth through the gate.  These being the same guys that randomly roust workers as they pass, searching through the papers in the baskets of their bikes and such.  China.

Meet Suzi and Yu

Meet Suzi and Yu.  These two charming young women are part of the new face of China.  Recent college graduates (a college education is a precious thing in China) they are just starting their careers.  Like most of their peers they have a strong desire to learn and practice English.  So we struck a bargain, they could practice their English with me and in turn they would help me with my Chinese and show me their China.  It worked out really well and I wish I had stayed longer to take more advantage of it.  The most interesting thing wasn't the differences, but the similarities.  People really are just people, the same hopes, fears, and dreams.

Chinese Cooking

Making breakfast this morning (and let me say it is very nice to be cooking again) I came to the realization that there is a lot to be learned from chinese cooking.  Or perhaps not learned, but reminded about.  The two main keys in their cooking are patience and preparation.  When you order a meal there it seems to arrive very quickly, but what you aren't seeing is the hours of handwork peeling, slicing, folding or the waiting while food items cure, pickle, or roast.  It seems to me much in our lives, both private and professional, can be improved by being patient enough to properly prepare.  I know I really need to learn this...

Pictures...

Okay, there is no good excuse just the simple truth I have been lazy.  I will start going through all the pictures and do some posting with the stories behind them.  Soon.  Honest.

Home

It is good to be home, really good.  Seattle (Shoreline) is a beautiful place to live, still hard to find work, I may find myself traveling again, but a beautiful place to live.  And, as if to remind me just how nice, the weather has been wonderful.  We took the puppy to Gasworks Park on a simply beautiful day:

And that afternoon I sat in the backyard and watched him run around.  It is wonderful:

I am keeping my leg up and it is healing, I am finally starting to feel rested (though I still wake at 3:30am) and I am looking forward to the next job.  I miss the work, and the friends I made, but I do not miss being in China.

Out of China

In mid-September I published a post about a political event and how it had made "a hard job harder".  Shortly there after I found out my post was having the same effect, so I promptly took it down and locked the blog for a bit.  Now those of you who know me know I am not the politically correct type.  I say what I think and will stand behind it.  But I am not a hypocrite, those working on the SFOBB job deserve respect and support.  It is a hard demanding job that wears people down.  Sometime soon I will post about the human cost of this project.  What I will not be doing is posting my view of leaving China, no good will come of it and it will just make a hard job harder for those still there.  If you want to know, email me, if I know you and trust you I will share.