Start of a new week....

Yet another young Chinese girl with a very short skirt and big boots.  Her dress was very short.

I took these pictures on a few walks I took during my last days in Kunming.

I am re-reading Nothing to Envy, a true story of North Korea.  I have it on my Kindle Fire where I am reading it again.

For World Book Night, I gave three books to friends of mine, then rest of the 17 books to the seniors at Regis High School.  The book I got from World Book Night was Friday Night Lights, about football in Texas.  I did not watch the TV show by that same name, as the book was so very good. 

Helen should be here later this week.  I can hardly wait to see her.

Yet another short post. I will start a few rants in a day or so.

Steven

More on my Last Days in Kunming

This picture shows a typical young Chinese lady, with a very short skirt and big boots.

I have a book waiting for me that library about North Korea, this time an escape from a Camp there.

Today I moved files from my scan disk to another scan disk.  My original disk was breaking apart.  It took some time to move the files from one to the other,  But now it is done and I am happy.

Not much else happening here.

Steven

Last days in Kunming

This picture was one my last days in Kunming.  They are playing a board game.

You see many things happening on the sidewalk there.  They sell vegetables and fireworks on the sidewalk.

You have to watch your step while walking on sidewalks there. People do not pick after their dogs and moms let the little children pee on the sidewalk. 

Young girls where very short skirts and very tight everything else. I took a lot of pictures these young girls but I don't know if I will post them here.

Not much else happening here.

Steven

See how red the dirt is near my apartment in China.  This is on the campus of Yunnan University.

It has been very warm here the past two days, but cooler today.

I have not been reading much these days.

I cut my rhubarb today and cooked it up.  This the first cutting of my rhubarb and I expect to have two to three more cuttings of my rhurbarb here.

There is a new look to this site now. 

I have been chatting with Helen for hours and hours each day.  That is why I have not been reading much.

I gave Regis High School 17 copies of Friday Night Lights, a book for World Book Night.  I kept one copy for a friend's child, another for my Dad, and one for me. I read this book when it first came out. and found it quite interesting.

World Book Night sent me 20 copies of this book to distibute as I saw fit.

Steven 

early Sunday

This picture show a small tree at Black Dragon Park in Kunming.

I am now reading The Coming of Third Reich.  This is the first book of trilogy  I will spend the next few weeks watching "sausage being made," more about the Third Reich than most people want to know about about the Nazis.

it sure was a nice day here yesterday.  After returning from 5:00 p.m Mass I decided to mow the lawn here. 

I picked up 20 copies of Friday Night Lights, a book on Texas football.  Monday is World Book Reading Night.  I plan to take these books to Regis High School to give them to senior boys and girls there.  I signed for these books and they were delivered to the library here. I read this book a few years ago when it first came out.  I saved a copy for myself. I will one copy to my father and one for the son of friend.

I saw that about 20 people around Stayton signed up for this Reading Night.  I wonder where the others will giving away books.  I know that only I had Friday Night Lights so I want to find the others to get a copy of the book from that person.

Have a great week upcoming.

Steven

Monday today

This picture is from China, Yunnan University

I took a walk around Yuan University to see the sites around this campus,. 

The dirt is very red here, and I think I have some pictures of the dirt I will show you.

Helen will get here Wednesday evening at Portland.

Steven

Sunday now...

This picture shows boats that people live on in the Lake west of Kunming.

I guess they get their food out of the lake.  I saw no other people fishing in this lake.

Not much else happening here. 

I am reading Revelations: Visions, Prophecy & Politics in the Book of Revelation, a book by Elaine Pagels.  I read some of her other books   She is an excellent writer so that is why I am reading this book.  The right wing thinks is going here. I not like right wing.

Steven

Weekend is here

This picture is Helen smiling.

I read Great Expectations at Regis as a freshman. I hated the book then at age 15.  I just finished watching the TV of Great Expectations.  It had a much younger Miss Haversham on it, as Gillian Anderson played that role. She also play Scully on The X-Files.  It was a four hour presentation of the book. I may have to read this book again, and think I have it on my Kindle.

This will be the last picture you see of Helen. I have four others but not fit for here. 

I may take some pictures of her to post here later, but not from the current crop of pictures she sent me.

Helen is Catholic like me.  Just what I need: to marry a Catholic young lady.

Today I will be reading and watching the TV shows I recorded this week.

The book sale is continuing today but I went there last Thursday and got the five books I wanted, two for gifts and the three for me.

Steven

Her she is...

This is Helen, my new special friend.  We plan to get married in the next year. 

One thing you cannot ask me is her age. 

She is coming on Tuesday. I will pick her up at the airport.

Steven

hi again

I know I promised a picture of my new special friend, but I will wait until Sunday to put it here. She had a tragedy in her family as her father died suddenly.  She will be here next Tuesday. 

The picture yoiu get here is from Black Dragon Park in Kunming China.

My new friend is Catholic, the first Catholic one I have.

You indeed will be surprised when see her picture.

I have not been sleeping well at all. I get after about four hours of sleep, wide awake. Anticipation, I guess.

Not much else happening here.

Steven
 

Early morning on U

This picture shows the mean counter at the grocery store in Kunming.  The people you see are cutting the meet, mostly pork, and putting it in front of them. Meat is never wrapped and is put out raw.  I did not buy this meat, as flies were landing on it. The meat moves fast as there is always a big crowd around these guys taking meat away.

The main meats in China are pork, chicken and duck.  Rarely do you see beef in this country,.

Tomorrow or Thursday I will post the picture of my big surprise. 

I don't know what is wrong with me but I awoke at 2:00 am this morning.  I will probably go back to bed in a few hours.

I have not been listening to many podcasts here, so I have four or five behind on every one of them. 

I have not been listening regularly to NPR either.  I am listening to All Things Considered from Monday as I write this.

I need to bear down to (1) read more; (2) listen to NPR every day; and (3) set up time to listen to podcasts.

Too much time I spend watching TV.  I need to cut back on it now to do other things. I think being without TV for my time in China forced me to watch too much TV upon my return to Oregon. 

I got all seven Harry Potter books on my Kindle and Kindle Fire.  Now I have them all in one place. I added them to all three of my Kindles and to Nolan's Kindle too as his Kindle is on my account. 

Gas here is over $4.00 a gallon here now.  Catching up to China where gas is sold there by the liter.  During my last days in Kunming I looked a local gas station to see that gas there sells for 7.17 rmb per liter.  That makes it well over $4.00 a gallon when you do the conversion (6.3 rmb equals $1.00)

Gas in China is owned by the government from the well head to the gas station.  It keeps the price high there to bring more money to the federal government.

I did some laundry yesterday and I was able to hang some clothes outside for the first time this year.  All of my clothes dried in about 3 hours outside yesterday. 

Tomorrow I am going to the airport in Portland, and think you know why.

Steven

Tis the Egg Day...

This is something I don't do often, putting a picture of me on this blog. But here is a picture of me at Black Dragon Park in Kunming China.

Today is Egg Day. I hope you are enjoying this day.  I went to 8;00 am Mass this morning. It was packed full, even the choir was full.

I don't sing in Church anymore. I am sung out, for I spent four years in Boys Glee at Regis.  We sang every day and we took tours to Catholic schools in Washington.  After four years of that singing I am done singing. 

But we shall see next week for my surprise will be with me then.  I am not telling you yet what surprise is but I am very pleased with her,. I will ask her if I post a picture of her in the middle of the week.

She is Catholic too. 

So now you part of my surprise, but wait until you see her picture. 

I finished Part Wild yesterday.  The author did not give the wolf away to a Rescue Association or to another place.  She ended up putting the wolf down. That wolf, named Inyo, was too hard to control in any situation,.

I am now reading Revelations about the book written in 236 so if you believe John the apostle wrote it,then you are wrong.  None of it true today.  It was written about the Roman Empire at that time. 

Steven



Saturday today

This picture shows the back end of the Catholic Church. It is one block from our house in Stayton. 

I went to Good Friday services last night and it was in English and Spanish.  Our church is very big and it was full last  night.

I will go to Mass Sunday morning as the Saturday night service is over two hours long.

I saw snow in the rain here yesterday.  What is wrong with this weather we have in in western Oregon?  Global warming is the cause of all of this strange weather.

I did not realize that I failed to post here for the past five days.  I promise to post more in the future.

I have some news but I will wait until the middle of next week to give the good news to you. I will attach a picture too. Let me say I feel like I won the lottery and the prize is the best of all.

I will finish Part Wild today.  I have another book waiting for me, this time on Revelation.  A good liberal book for me to read.

Steven

M eve now...

This is the lake we visited in Kunming China.  It is a big lake but no boats on it except a few local residents. 

I got my hair cut today. Tomorrow it will be colored again, the first time since returning from China.

A haircut in China cost me 10 rmb, or about $1.80.  A haircut here in Stayton cost me $11.00 today.  It took a barber about 45 minutes to cut my hair as he had not cut a western man's hair before.  Jim, my barber here, takes about five to six minutes to cut my hair. 

I am now reading Part Wild: One Woman's Journey with a Creature Caught Between the Worlds of Wolves and Dogs.  I heard this author on an NPR program soon after returning to the U.S.  The author tried to tame a wolf but found out how wild he was and could not keep the wolf in her house,.

Do you believe dogs devolved from wolves?  But what about a pug dog or the dog that won the Westminster Dog Show, so far away from wolves they look more like cats than dogs. 

My dad is doing fine in The Dalles, at the Oregon Veterans' Home.  He calls me about every other week to give me a report on what is happening there.

My father is now 90 years old. 

I am surprised I like reading books on my Kindle Fire. I thought with the back-lit screen I would not like it, but I turn the brightness down quite a bit to read books and articles on it. 

I have read two books on it and I am now putting articles on it too.

I am not gaining weight here in the U.S. I simply do not have a large appetite yet here. 

Steven

Sunday today

This is a typical Chinese dinner.

Dumplings, a green vegetables and some fish.  Now you know why I lost nearly 40 pounds there in about six months.

My two favorite dishes in China were dumplings and noodles.  Rice came in a distant third.

I am now reading The Long Night: William L Shirer and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.   I have The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich here but it over 1,000 pages in paperback form. I may read it this summer.

Not much else happening here. 

More tomorrow.

Steven