The greatest wall of all.

I get to go to here.

I get to go to there Tuesday. Like...tomorrow. I know!!! And that very may well be what it looks like when I see it. Two weeks ago it was SNOWING in Beijing and the high temp was in the 20's. The forecast says (and we all know how weathermen generally suck) that it will be in the upper 40's. But as my brother said, perhaps the forecast will change and I will get to experience a Siberian cold front! Thanks, bro. That sounds like tons of fun.

I am generally excited, then sudden fits of anxiety make me feel like I could throw up, then I feel fine, and then the cycle starts over again. Anxiety about the whole plane thing if you were wondering. Woo-sah.

For some reason Asia doesn't believe in free wi-fi, so you will not be getting an update from me for two weeks. I know you can live without my crazy until then. Don't worry. Tons of pictures will be made available for your viewing upon my return...assuming my memory cards don't crash and certain officials don't feel like confiscating my camera. **PRAY!!!**

Newma the cat.

"I hate my life, I hate my life, I hate my life!!!"

That's what I think the cat is saying. I went up to my cousin's this evening to take some portraits. This is one of the outtakes with one of her daughters holding the cat. Anyway, the cat totally looks like she loves being held like that, right?!

"Say what?!"

I think I have a super power. Super Hearing! But it only applies in eavesdropping situations. Allow me to explain.
In normal conversations my hearing is average to sub-par. I usually have to ask, "What?" or "Huh?" a few times during any given conversation because at some point my ears just can't decipher what message left a person's mouth. So much so that friends often make fun of me for being deaf. I don't know what it is about close range conversation that makes my ears malfunction. If I miss out on part of your monologue, it's either one of two things. Maybe sometimes both.
One: I have an attention span of a two year old and if the crap subject you decide to converse to me about isn't uber-riveting, the sanity preservation department in my brain puts my ears into automatic shutdown mode and then I have to work to override the order to catch up to what you're talkin' 'bout, therefore I have to ask you again, "Wait...what?"
Two: My hearing is genuinely awful and I really didn't understand what you just said.
There is one situation when my hearing is absolutely brilliant. The aforementioned eavesdropping situation. It doesn't matter if you're behind a shut door, five tables over in a crowded restaurant, across the room, or across the house...if my ears pick up the slightest hint of an argument, or a juicy-fied scandal, consider them tuned in. Don't think I go around purposely eavesdropping. No. It's not my fault the super ears pick up on gossip keywords like "cheating manwhore" or "skankified slut" wherever they go. They just do. And once they start listening, they don't stop until every last detail is divulged, only then do they move on. And unless you happen to be speaking in a nano-whipsper, your story is mine. Beware the super ears.
Okay. So maybe it's not a super power, so much as selective listening. Maybe?

Reflections.

Sunset in my back backyard. Nice one, Jesus! Not Jesus the cricket (<-- read to figure out what the hey I'm talkin' 'bout)...the actual, ya know, Jesus. Him. Capital "h". The Man upstairs. Yeah. Got it? Great...