There is a famous Chinese proverb: 不到长城非好汉. He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. And after he visits the Great Wall, he picks up a pack of cigarettes. Smoking is huge in this country, even with doctors, including my “no chicken, no OJ, drink broccoli juice” acupuncturist. Before the young doctor light his cigarette, […]
Smoke
Take two ping pong balls and call me in the morning.
We looked like m&ms tumbling from the plane as our chutes opened in the sky. Below us was a bounty of trees more colorful than a box of Crayolas. It was October, it was college, and I was suffering from a temporary bout of insanity. I had signed up to go skydiving. Despite hours of instruction, I didn’t bend my […]
Hearing Found
My problem is not hearing loss but hearing found. An over exaggeration of sounds known as tinnitus-hyperacusis.
The Other Ten Commandments
I am glad that when Moses came down the mountain with two tablets, there wasn’t another set for those of privilege. Thou shall not steal, unless of course, you can afford a good lawyer. Thou shall not commit adultery, unless you are a politician who can afford payoffs. Thou shall keep thy Sabbath holy unless you want to go to […]
朋友 Friends
What lengths will one go to meet new friends in China?
Ten point seven kilometers.
Lessons from a Dummy
Christianese is the only language more confusing than Chinese. For starters, you can’t cut and paste it into my faithful friend, Google Translate.
The Power of Words
It’s one of the few words that I know in Chinese. If you pronounce it correctly, you’ll be saying thank you. If you pronounce it wrong, you’ll be saying anything but.
Purple Haze
It’s become a thing for me. Heading to the mountains of Sapa Vietnam for my birthday
Barista of Bad
grinding up life’s bitter moments into something good.
Why I’m thankful for Donald, Angels in Khakis and Librarians.
As the green Jell-O melts at the Thanksgiving table, your father-in-law mutters an updated version of the prayer he said last year. It includes family members, a line about world peace, a reiteration of the poem about the footprints in the sand, gratitude for Costco for having pumpkin pies on sale. But as you secretly wish he’d hurry up so […]