Reminders…

Posted by He Said and She Said

She Said…

As we walk down streets and up alleys in Beijing, we see things that remind us of friends and family. We want to share these with you.

This one is for Libby over at Libby Logic. She and I share a similar appreciate of all things comfortable. What size and how many, huh, Libby?

CJ, this one has you written all over it:

This next one will seem strange to most.  Living here, we don’t have all of the amenities we have back home, such as a utensil organizer. Eileen, I think of you every time I open my drawer.

Memories of living on Lake Street next to Eddy come flooding back with this one:

and this one…wait, these actually make us think of CJ AND Eddy.

  
Facebook is a magical thing. Through it I have reconnected with friend from down in the west Texas town of El Paso. Paloma, this one is for you (and sorry, this was the real store – no special price!):

Dad, this one is ALL you:

and this one...

He Said…

This one is for Rebecca at work, seeing as now I can’t NOT think about her every time I see a fricking Hello Kitty, and yes, this was an ENTIRE store FILLED with that damn cat.

Chris, this one is for you.  What is more patriotic in China than a RED Baby? An entire catalog dedicated to your RED Baby.

This one in particular makes me think of all the Best Buy fanboys at home.  Now even though I won’t go into the Blue Box at home, this is ONE Best Buy I could get into!

We picked this up at the local Jenny Lou’s.  Eileen, we miss you!

  
This one had me thinking about Kevin and Kevin’s for DAYS (Bitters)!

 
… and Barbara AND Kevin, need I say more!  Of course just behind our building they are erecting the new Microsoft Beijing campus, but without signs, it’s not worthy of a picture yet.

Damnit, why won’t this thing get a signal???

and lets not forget Amy, Brad and Hannah PEW PEW!

 
And not a DAY goes by that I don’t think of Rob or Jami and their love affairs with their bicycles. Can you see the end of them…I can’t?

This is more of a generic one, but all the Dexter fans back home (Ok, Barbara and Kevin get double billing), I think he was here in the kitchen.  The glasses at this restaurant all have this dripping red blob.

and Jacob, if you were here, this would be your new home, food, coffee, English speaking customers AND BOOKS!

  
Speaking of books, Jacob.  I know you would have had to climb to the top as well!!!!!

and you would probably bankrupt us eating at the Union Bar & Grill.

 
Ok Eddy gets double billing too. You KNOW you want one.  Notice the winter hand warmers installed. Oh, you know you want a closer look.  The handlebar gloves look like something you would have invented.

And every time I see this one I think about work. 

Question: “Should we do it right, or fast?”
Answer:  “BOTH”

Result.

 
Stella, this one is for you.  For some reason the style of these make me double take every time I see one.  They look like a mini Westfalia camper.

Who are you again and why am I naked?

I am back.  I know, its been a long time since I have blogged.  I was kidnapped by agents of The Company.  I can’t talk about it, if I did, I would have to kill you.

After my daring escape I was left with severe injuries to my shoulder and right elbow.  Those coupled with my prior foot issues left me in a great deal of pain and crippled by night terrors of my torture and abuse from The Company. 

Really, its just so horrifying I can’t talk about it. 

So like any injured superspy I went to my local physician who subscribed a plethora of medications to help ease me back into society. These were not without side effects which were pointed out to me in a rather public way.

Several weeks ago the family attended another of Braedyn’s soccer games.  As we were heading toward the field I asked “which one are we on this week.”

Susanne replies “The same as last week.”

It was obvious to me that we were NOT headed towards the field we played on the week before so I say with absolute confidence (because you all know I am NEVER wrong) “no, we were on that field over there.”

My wife gives me a look that really couldn’t have been described any less than “are you fucking kidding me?” and says just as gently “UH NO, we were on THIS field over here,” pointing again in the WRONG direction (because you see, I KNOW I am right).

“Uh No, we sat right over there, “ I confidently point. 

At which point another mom from the soccer team replies. “No, that was the week before.  Last week we sat right here.” Pointing again in the opposite direction that MY PERFECT mind remembers.

And then Susanne leans over and says “Wow, those drugs did a real number on you.  I KNEW something was wrong last week.”

What? Me? In a complete altered state.  Well my dear readers, it turns out she was right (just this once we will let her pretend it happens more often than not).  I sat down (it so happens in almost the exact same spot as the prior week) and that’s when the small flashes of memory started coming back. 

It was like being in a really cool action movie, glimpses of memory coming back in quick little flashes, like in a Michael Bay movie where everything moves really fast and nothing makes any sense but you don’t care because it just LOOKS cool. Except it was flashes of my life which is more like the movie Parenthood except my wife is much hotter than Mary Steenburgen and I am so way better looking than Steve Martin, and funnier, except when I blog because I don’t want him to feel bad.

So it’s time for my meds again.  Now what was I doing and where are my pants?

It’s Just A Cultural Thing, Right?

I normally don’t blog about work, I mean who wants to get dooced for blogging.  If it meant that I could make a living blogging, hell I might go for it but I don’t see THAT happening anytime soon. 

The prior two weeks I spent doing one on one training with a new employee destined for our China office.  This woman was very bright and friendly.  She was formerly from China, had been living in the states for at least 6 years and was a graduate of an American university.  An American at this point, right?

The second week I was sitting in my cube trying to focus and give somewhat meaningful training. I kept moaning and whining about my sore muscles after spending a weekend towing my family (including Charmin) around on a giant water trampoline tied to my waist.

There I am rubbing my shoulders and she simply looks at me and cocks her head curiously at me.  I assume she cares why I am hurting and I explain what I was doing all weekend and finish up with “I am just out of shape.”

She pauses and like T1000 Terminator she scans me slowly from head to toe and says simply “Yes, you are.”