spring has sprung

We have beautiful days and nights here in shanghai as we wrap up year #2 at SAS. 5 day weekend was super chill. Expo has started and sounds neat. We might go with Janet and Steve when they get here soon. We just found out which apartment we will move to next year, at the Shanghai Racquet Club. Yes, we will live in a racquet club. Fear not--I plan to maintain my "shtreet" edge and will never forget my working class roots. Speaking of which, went bowling the other day for Keller's birthday. Xi Jiao State Guest House (place we did D's birthday last year) has some nice lanes, but I was disappointed with the parenting that day. Kids were bowling out of turn. Kids were running all the way down the lane toward the pins. Kids were "helping" the bowling balls by sitting in the gutter and reaching into the lane toward a rolling ball and giving it a shove. Miraculously, no injuries were reported.

My point here is how strongly I felt myself reacting. As a teen, I took bowling lessons one summer, to beat the heat in AZ, and part of what I learned was etiquette. Let's just say I was the only one following proper etiquette that day. YOU DON'T DISRESPECT THE GAME, PEOPLE! It's just like when A-Rod ran across the pitcher's mound a couple weeks back. You don't touch someone else's bowling ball! (Even when the bumpers are up and the kid who bowled it already ran back to grab another ball to chuck). Of all the places to experience "China rage," as our headhunter Michael Williams called it, a bowling alley was the last one I expected.

Phew. Thanks for letting me vent. What else is going on? Here's a photo of "the gap," to go with a recent post. It is now twice as big--I trust y'all can use your imagination.



And here is another from E's visitation to SAS. He is very excited to be a Pre-K'er.



Sorry for the lag between posts. I have been crazy busy--baseball spring conditioning, some tutoring, lots of wiffle ball in the street, some hoops for me to stay in shape (shot 3 for 3 and played tough D last night, we won 3 of the 4 games I played in).

I head to Vietnam in less than a month with Steve-O. Should be a good trip. Then on my way home, I have a 12 hour layover in Seoul (long story). Some colleagues here used to work there, so I have a nice little mini-visit planned. Will check out the Korean War Memorial.

Then it's Las Vegas to reunite with the other 3 and spend a couple days with Erica. Then, June 25, Portland baybay. Burritos, biking, borrowing books and DVDs from the library, beer, baseball (do the Portland Beavers still exist?)...I can't think of any more B things.

Time to grade some Africa maps. How many countries and rivers could you label? Several of my students can label 48 countries (we skipped some tiny ones, no offense) and 8 bodies of water. Are you smarter than a 10th grader?