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Tai-Tai was contacted by a friend that was moving from their house in our compound...'Would you be interested in buying our scooter?'
The compound we live in isn't that big...it is a horseshoe shaped chunk of land with the homes and apartments lining the slingshot shaped lake at the center. The problem is...each level is a staircase away from each other. Not sure what the 'grade' of the road would be...but they appear to be at least 20%. The clubhouse for the complex is located at the top...and we are near the bottom. Needless to say, we never used the clubhouse that much, because it was such a pain in the butt to get there.
With the addition of this mean machine, we have found a bit more freedom getting to and from the shop and up to the clubhouse. There is no license, as scooters are illegal in GZ...but, its OK here on private property.
So, Tai-Tai asked me what I thought, and I didn't really care one way or the other. Asking price was RMB1500.00 (about USD210.00) for a scooter that had only 180 kilometers on it. It's not a Vespa or Paggio...but, it runs quite well and it gets the job done.
*The photo to the right: "Specializing in noble model street bike for noble life..." I feel noble, that's for sure*
I recently came upon some gems from a friend. Way back in February of 1980, they had recorded all of
ABC's broadcasts of the USA men's hockey games. I've had a copy of THE 'Miracle on Ice' game for a few years...one of the greatest upsets in sports history and one that still brings a lump in the throat when I watch it. It was a time in which I was just beginning to become interested in hockey...and the USA team burst on the scene to just build my love for the game.
Every game was represented in the pack of video...with Jim McKay hosting and Al Michaels doing play by play...it just floods the memories back to me of those times.
One of the biggest memories I have of those games were the atrocious coverage hockey received 
(and still recieves) during the games. The Sweden game is limited to highlights and the last three minutes of the third period. Other games evoke those memories of the ever famous line McKay would say over and over again because ABC was showing some fluff piece, instead of the games...'While we were away...' Nearly all of the goals in the USA vs West Germany game were scored off the air...brutal. Living on the west coast was even worse, as we learned of the results of the games from our afternoon newspaper before they would even show the games on TV...usually after 9pm at night.
The quality is grainy and jumpy...but that splotchy colored blue ice and the wide open skating, skinny goalies and flow of the game really brings me back to how the game is supposed to be played. At some point, maybe the Vatican will recognize this truly holy event in the light that it should be.
And then there is this newly discovered play by play of the game against the Soviets by a reporter for ABC News Radio...instead of taking notes, he just did play by play while in the arena. His call of Eruzione's game winning goal is beautiful...voice cracking and everything.
In this world of American Idol-created pop acts, corrupted music executives and rehashed 70's bands, Insomnia Radio gave me the opening to a world of independent artists and music that I only dreamed could exist. Well, Jason has decided to call it quits...
This is an emotional post to write, and as such it’s going to be stripped down to the essence. I have battled this decision for awhile, but I have to say goodbye to my show, and to all of you amazing hardcore indie fans, and move on. Hopefully you all realize there is no RIGHT time to do this, just the NECESSARY time.
It seems as though many bloggers go through these times...times in which the hobby overtakes the life. Jason's dedication to the music has taken its toll...I only hope he can get rested and come back stronger.
I cannot express the heartfelt thanks to Jason and the network he created for exposing me to some of the best music out there.
For those that subscribe to IR...keep that subscription, as all the regional shows will continue (IR Chicago, IR SoCal, IR Detroit, etc).
Ehhh...alright, not exactly...but surprising nonetheless.
As part of my 'entertaining' of the recent visitors I had at work, I took them out for a quick trip to a local mall, so they could see the 'underground' culture of youth in the city...and maybe pick up an item or two along the way.
We walked around and around the underground 'Update' mall that is just off the Martyr's Park subway
station in GZ. This mall has countless stalls of clothing, sneakers, hair bobbles and various other knick knacks and stuff that Asian kids love.
We stopped into one shop that was loaded with all sorts of crap you might find in a Spencer's Gifts shop in the States...all manner of things that everyone was keen to check out and discuss. As I stood to the side waiting, one of the guys picked up a hand pump flashlight and was talking to me about it...they are pretty cool and he'd never seen one before. And then I peered down into the glass case the shop keepers was leaning against and I saw two small ice skates with black and yellow socks in the back of the case. I crouched down and there he was...Bobby Orr.
I quickly asked the girl how much and she proceeded through the crowd of people in her shop to the opposite corner to retrieve a box...a box that contained Wayne Gretzky, just like the Bobby Orr doll.
RMB50.00
Knowing that I would regret myself if I only bought Bobby Orr...I bought Wayne too. I tried to bargain the prices down, but the girl quickly told me that she was not the 'boss' of the shop and she couldn't help me. I respected that and paid the RMB100.00.
Nearly 12 years ago, while browsing the cramped and dirty markets of Qingping, I stumbled across a small Cam Neely statue and made the quick (over priced) purchase. Joining Cam Neely was a cool little set with Hasek and Gretzky a couple years later...and now I have the big boys.
Nothing much more to say when you read this...
One especially excited group was Cub Scout Pack 3944, which is comprised mostly of Beijing-resident American kids under the age of 10. About fifty of them arrived at the game in blue uniforms bedecked with American flags and merit badges, accompanied by their den mothers and scout masters. The night before, they'd learned that the Dodgers had invited them onto the field after the game to meet the players.
But just before the game, the Haidian district police barred the scouts from the field. Why? Because thousands of kilometers away, in the Himalayas, monks and others in Tibet had launched protests against Chinese rule. The government apparently feared that the young Americans would use their moment on the grassy infield to agitate for Tibetan independence. This fear that a pack of cub scouts would politicize a baseball game drove the government to politicize the event more effectively than any Tibetan splittist could hope for, and disappointed a group of bright-eyed kids in the process.
Incredible. This is Chinese crisis management at its best. Again...what are they going to do when people show up for the Olympics and stage protests and the like in and around Beijing. As Ronald Reagan used to say...'You ain't seen nothin' yet.'
This past week was a brutal, busy week with two sets of visitors coming in to work on product and generally take up all my time. I had many early mornings and late nights keeping track of these people. On one particular morning, while quickly checking the inbox and the latest Twitter-ings...I heard this noise...faint.
I kept plugging away at what I was doing and then I heard it again. It was 6:45am...a decent day outside...but not too many people or cars about at that time. So, I decided to investigate a little further and headed to the back door to step into the garden to see if I could see/hear what the noise was. After a couple moments in the calm of the morning...
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
And a return to the silence. WTF what that? Sounded like someone yelling.
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
There it was again and it was coming from across the complex. There was someone yelling at the top of their lungs. Did they lose their kid? Their cat? Dunno...so, I headed back inside and thought it strange.
Fast forward to the next morning...same 'bat-time'...
"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Huh?? A few moments later...again...and again...and again.
If this guy were living next door to me, I'd be having some words with him.
The other night we were at a quiet dinner party with some friends in the complex and someone mentioned they had heard a guy yelling in the early morning. 'Yeah...I heard him too.' The guys sounds like 'George of The Jungle', my friend says. A good laugh...but still a mystery as to why he is yelling at 6:45am every morning.
Another China moment...cultural differences and all that. Very strange place to be at times.
