B is for Bike.

This is C.

A reluctant law mower, a happy noodle eater.

P is for Photo Ops with the Blonds.

From C: S and I are having a great time in China. Yesterday we were at a place called the summer palace. It is a huge garden with Chinese "castles" or palaces. A funny thing happened there. S and I were just standing there talking to our friends and suddenly this girl with a pink hat is standing right next to me. Someone is taking her picture--with me. She hadn't said anything, she's just standing next to me. So we started talking to them and then got a picture with the girl's mother. I put my arm around the mother and she almost died. You can see the pictures attached.

Pretty soon there was another woman (a little older) having her picture taken with me, but she didn't dare to stand right next to me. She stood in front of me a little so I would be in the picture. Then it happened again a few more times.

My friends were joking that we should start charging for pictures with Christopher and start a website called "Photoswithchristopheratthesummerpalace.com"

Later, a girl asked S to take some pictures with her. They started playing and making faces. It was really funny.

C is for C in China.

Check out C's blog: http://dialectbrand.blogspot.com/

It's all business... the fun stuff is over here.

Ah, so Rery Rery funny.

http://engrish.com/

Postcard from S

I emailed S asking how her knees are doing. For her birthday she ordered some groovy Converse from Zappo's to take on the trip... Converse is the only brand of "practical shoe that she will wear... with insole to help the patellofemoral situation... This is what she wrote:

my knees hurt a little on the great wall (i wonder why?) but i took Excedrin and they felt much better. they haven't hurt much otherwise. i even took the stairs up 26 floors today without a problem :) and ive been wearing my insoles everyday except my birthday. i wore sandals that day. and i think i should have packed an extra two rolls of duck tape and toilet paper. that stuff came in handy. and ill keep my eyes out. should i send postcards from here? we just got some. and everyone LOVES the sketchbook that you sent with me :) i wish i had brought more art supplies tho. OH! and you would have LOVED this place we went today. i took lots of pictures and was thinking about you the whole time. its a whole district where you can rent a space and display your art or work or whatever and people will love it. guarantee. everyone loved the graffiti. it was just such a cool place. and you can buy stuff. and there are streets and streets filled with galleries. you would have been in heaven.

G is for Great Wall of CHINA!!!

C is older than a 'coon's age and wrote the following to me, "Not doing so well health wise. Don't know why. The pollution is effecting my throat--losing my voice. Aches and pains just below serious thresholds. I will stay in the hotel and rest tomorrow when the others go to the Great Wall."

I couldn't believe that. I was just completely floored. I wrote back: YOU SLITHER THERE AND YOU SLITHER BACK.DON'T YOU DARE MISS THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA WITH S!!!

I also called him at about 2:30 in the morning his time. :)

Today I received this email:
Yesterday the Great Wall and Ming Tomb and an uprising on the tour bus to fight the forced stops at jade factories, and "pearl markets." They keep taking us to these tourist traps on the way. We tell them that we do not want to go and oh man! we learn something about the Chinese tour industry. There is huge pressure from the system to take us to these traps. I spent most of the day on the phone yesterday trying to get our group out of going to a pearl market planned for tonight (coming up still). The battle is not over.

We had dinner with the designer of the Beijing Olympic Logo last night. He specially gave a signed copy of his logo on a pin to S.

YES THEY ARE FINE.

Thanks for wondering. :) C & S are in Beijing and did not feel the earthquake. They are both doing well. Went to the Beijing opera for S's 16th. (Wow.) Talked to them today.

That area of the world has been hit extra hard lately. My prayers are especially for the many families that lost their children in the school collapse.

H

B is for Bejing Sweetie-Cakes!

Pretty dang sweet I'd say. :)

TP is for Toilet Poem...

C travels quite a bit and speaks Mandarin Chinese. One of his design friends in China has a poem, in Chinese, on his website. It is pretty much the main thing you see when you go to his site. C told him that message might be completely true, and yet, somehow, um... well, it just doesn't translate well. See for your self. C is working on his own Ode de Toilet, so to speak.
Here's the link to the toilet poem in English:
http://www.meikao.com/english/index-e.asp

Here's the original translation (same as on the site now):
Original Translation:

The Toilet Bout Spirit
The service moral of Meikao

The toilet bout has profound cultural connotation, it is one of the scales of civilization.
The toilet bout has its original modesty feature, and it has to be annealed before it is shaped.
Equanimity, imperturbability and being able to stand with enthusiasm are the toilet bout’s character.
Ready for loneliness, responsibility, and brave in sacrificing are the toilet bout’s spirit.
The toilet bout can release your pressure and make you comfortable.
The toilet bout will shine forever by self-brushing.
We are proud to be toilet bout for clients, we are willing to devote to you, just trust in us.

W is for Want this swing from China.

N wants to try this kind of swings in China.
That is K on the swing on the right.

C is for China.

K and C left for CHINA a while ago and will return tomorrow. (K is going to kill me for posting this picture!) We are happy for the return of course and yet we've have a relaxing time around her. A lot gets done when C travels. Why is that? Perhaps they will appreciate the peach shortcake, or maybe they will miss the duck tongue...

Wanna know more about the trip? Check out C's blog: http://dialectbrand.blogspot.com/