Wednesday April 13th, 2011

Class, class, class, class, class class.

I skyped Morgan, and worked some on the computer after debate class. Time dripped by. I was scheduled to go to one-on-one class. This was my first time to play hooky since the onset of the semester, and I played my get-out-of-class card.

For lunch, I ate roof food at Ma Lan. I don’t know if I have been blocking this out, but when Chinese people eat, it is a very noisy process. I almost couldn’t eat myself, with all of the smacking, sucking, slurping, guzzling, dripping and hocking around me. I was especially impressed by the digestive noises by a froggy-looking woman at the next table over.

Then, I went back to the dorm to survey the lay of the land from the vantage point of my window. What began as a cheery, springtime day was quickly degrading into smoggy half-light and a I watched the process with a mixture of dread and interest. I read more from What the Dog Saw and was inspired once again my Gladwell’s expertise with the pen. If anyone needs an upcoming writer for current news, I am available.

I gathered my belongings and again faced the challenge of the treadmill. Treadmill defeated, I then went to work subduing the pull-up bar. It was vanquished.

I swung by the bank and then picked up some groceries from a supermarket in the neighborhood. I purchased supplies necessary for breakfast: eggs, yogurt in bags, bread, and bananas. I also purchased some mangoes. If you were not aware, dear reader, I have never eaten a raw mango before, and today is the day that I make that purchase.

I went out to eat with Wes and Hannah, this time at a home-style restaurant in an area called Weigong Cun. There is a main road in the neighborhood called Weigong Cun (translated Weigong Village) and another small side street that is goes by that same name. This restaurant was on the smaller of those streets, set back off the road and adorned with a big red sign. The establishment boasted cuisine from one of the remote provinces of the People’s Republic. For dinner, we ate roast beef fat (we did not mean to order that, mind you), fried green beans with red peppers, rice noodles on a fried egg, and stir-fry eggplant. It was a very good meal, and I thought it even more so because I have been quite hungry over the last few days, no matter how much I eat.

We walked back to the dorm, and then I had more studying to do. I had the last day of class tomorrow. I was ready.

Sleep.