Letter to the President.

It's a comment on the state of the econmony in the US and my opinion, as a US citizen, as to what might be done about it.

I hold the opinion that selfish buisnessmen using corperate entities for their own means, a consumer driven appreciation for trash products, abuse of workers in other countries, and devaluation of work through over availibiliy of credit has sapped our economy of both it's blood (money) and spirit (faith, and will). I will spare the details as I'm sure you can figure out where I get these notions.


1. To stop abuse of workers, and industries as a whole I suggest that more people support individually owned and run establishments.
The hope being that personal attachment to an entity and an appreciation for the work that went into it will encourage integrity and indeed reward hard work that individuals and groups of individuals do.

2. In light of the recognition that wasted energy and resources are both an economic and environmental burden, I suggest that people make purcheses with quality, the long run and even carbon footprint (including shipping) in mind, rather than cheapness, convenience.

3. Work is work no matter where it's done and who does it, it should be valued as such. I belive humans inside and outside the United States should be valued equally. On this basis, it's just more practical to support local labor because without taking advantage of the disadvantaged, it's much more expensive to have something manufactured on the other side of the world.

4. The value of work needs to be re-assesed.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_19/b4130040117561.htm?campaign_id=rss_null
People don't lack jobs because they can't find work, it's because they don't want to take the work they can find.
Companies should be willing ot train driven employees and employees should be hard working and driven.




The gut of my opinion is this:
I didn't vote because I don't think policy is what changes the world, or a country.
It's attitude. The attitude of every indidivudal.

Obama has an amazing thing with his hope campaign, but I hope he doesn't think that hope will actually make the economy improve.
Hope is only the first step. Hope can spur change.
However, for a change of course, we need a change in attitude. Attitude towards work, attitude towards life.
A change in attitude about what's actually important.

I think most people don't care enough ideals like equality, and truth. They don't want to know what it takes to have what they have.

I've read alot in the past few days about policies coming out of the Obama administration.
Most people don't speak in terms of policy. Policy=laws=things made for breaking; things there to get in the way of, avoid, or take advantage of.

Policy may be a necessary front, but the real change isn't going to happen because of policy, it's going to happen because of people.
Policy can be made by policitcal machines, changing people is what takes real art.


Frankly, I hope that you can put this in a pile of emails that all say the same thing and you guys listen to this.
CJ



PS:
Obama: "Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over."
Does science not fall under ideology?
An ideaology that evidence is important? That reason works and sense is sensible?
I think looking to science is the result of an ideology, not in any way seperate from.
What is the ideaology the US needs to find it's economic self in the swamps of credit, juggles of morgages and ... well I'm no economist so I can't really finish the analogy, but you get it.

I get stoned and wind up on a bikeride across the city.

"The President is committed to restoring integrity to science policy, and making decisions on the basis of evidence, rather than ideology."
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/04/obama-at-academ.html
"On March 9th, I signed an executive memorandum with a clear message: Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over. Our progress as a nation – and our values as a nation – are rooted in free and open inquiry. To undermine scientific integrity is to undermine our democracy."
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/04/obama-at-the-ac-2.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology

Is taking science for what it's worth giving ideology a back seat?

I think the man's on the right track though.


I realized that China is teaching it's next generation how to 1. cooperate 2. how to follow directions.

This the next generation could either become incredibly efficient citizens (see Japan). Or fit right into a military state.

The number one answer to the question of:
"What did you do XXTIMEXX?"
is:
"I did my homework."
Matched only by:
"I played computer games."

about 95%


There is no life outside of your test scores.

Where is the culture in the new generation?

an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

Copy-Cat pop songs?
Western liturature classics from the 1800's?
The clubing body bounces and rolls as dance?
Is buying and selling culture?
Is KTV and prostitution culture?


Research in Progress...


What can an individual do without culture?
What can a country do without culture?
What purpose, has money, without culture?
Can you think without creating culture?

What remains to be see is how the next generation will fill China's culture void.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Universities.

My college days were quite interesting. The story truly begins with my graduation from High School. Through much of High School I lived with my parents in a city called Longmont; an hour’s drive away was my school, in Louisville, called Monarch K-12. However, when I graduated I moved out, in with a friend who lived with his parents in Louisville; because all of my friends lived in Louisville or Boulder, a near by city, it made sense to live near them. For the whole summer I just worked as a swim instructor, and skateboarded. My friend and his parents were very gracious, I was allowed to use space, use their internet, and even eat their food, and all for only a small amount of money. However, this idle life was not satisfied. I tried to picture myself living the same life for the rest of my life and thought I would be unhappy. I remembered how much I loved to learn. So I decided to set myself to learning the only way I knew how: school.

My first two semesters were at Front Range Community College in the city of Westminster. Before I started school I moved into a new room I sublet (rented) from a lady who used to be a teacher but was now disabled. I paid $400 a month. The house was in Superior, only five minutes from Louisville and thirty minutes from Westminster. To pay for my living expenses I continued to work as a lifeguard in Broomfield (which is five minutes from Westminster). To pay for my school I took $1,300 in school loans. I only lived with the lady for three months, which was the first semester of school, but they were hectic times for me. I spent a lot of time with my friends in Boulder who were attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. We spent a lot of time on the CU Boulder campus, drinking (alcohol), and meeting people, but we also went to house parties and raves (very large, wild dances).
My second semester I moved back to Longmont to live with my parents because my aunt had offered to let me visit her in Mongolia and to do that I needed to save money. Although living with my parents was challenging because I lived much farther away, it was still cheaper because I did not have to pay rent. During this time I worked much more. I usually woke up at 4 am, then drove an hour to work, worked until 10 or 11 am, then went to school, before returning to work and finally going home. At a Community College you can only get a two year Associates Degree. After getting an Associates Degree most people then transfer to a four year University (like the University of Boulder at Boulder, aka: CU Boulder). While I did very much enjoy the art classes at community college, most of the classes were very easy and quite boring. Because I was becoming more and more interested in Chinese culture and philosophy I decided that when I returned I would study Linguistics at the CU Boulder. That way I could study both Chinese, and Philosophy, because Linguistics combines many disciplines.

When I returned from my three month trip to China and Mongolia I was to begin school at the CU Boulder. (You can find pictures of my trip at http://sainlog.blogspot.com .) For the whole year I was attending the Community College most of my social life had been spent with them on the CU campus, and before I left on my trip I actually lived in my friend’s dorm room for two weeks. So, when I returned from my trip I decided not to live in the dormitories for two reasons: it was too expensive (I didn’t have the money, and didn’t want the waste the money), and because I had already experienced the dorms, and thought the whole thing was silly. Instead I lived with my brother. We shared a room and I rode my motorcycle to work and school for the first two months; but honestly, I only slept and cooked at his house: When I was not at school or work, I was studying in the library or rock climbing at the climbing gym.
After buying a large van from my step-mother, I soon moved out my brother’s house into the city of Boulder. I easily acquired a job at a sandwich shop and began taking yoga classes at Corepower Yoga. Every morning I woke up at 5:30am, went to yoga at 6am, went to class all morning, then went rock climbing or took another yoga class, and finally worked or studied. Because I had eaten so much food in China I had started to exercise a lot. By the end of the half way through the semester I was rock climbing every day for three hours and by the end I was climbing six days a week for two hours, and doing yoga every day. My exercise regimen allowed me quite a diet: I would drink a half gallon of milk with protein shake after yoga and before class ($3). Then I would eat a sandwich from the restaurant I worked at for lunch ($2.50), I would have a small glass of milk with protein shake before rock climbing, and finally I would either eat a large burrito ($10), or another sandwich (this time for free) for dinner. Meanwhile I was taking Chinese 1 (part 1), Introduction to Linguistics, British Literature, and General Psychology.
That first semester at University passed well but I decided that my time spent rock climbing was wasted because I was not actually interested in becoming a professional rock climber. I was more interested in general physical fitness, martial arts and performance. So I dropped my membership at the climbing gym and added a Dance major. That next semester I took three Dance classes, Chinese 1 (part 2), Phonetics, and American Literature; but these classes did not satisfy me, I also enrolled in a class with another University (Naropa University) on prose writing. Throughout this time I continued to do yoga, and dance, but changed my diet. I stopped drinking milk and instead ate copious amounts of yogurt with cereal ($6). For lunch I ate canned fish with rice ($6), and for dinner I either ate a large burrito ($10) or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ($5).
What was ironic about the classes I was in was that I learned so much from them but they ultimately convinced me that to continue taking classes was a waste of time for me. From my classes I learned many things. In Improvisational Dance I saw that creativity is one of the hardest things in the world, but probably the most satisfying. Rhythms and Accompaniment made me realize that almost anything can be learned with committed practice. I also took African dance, which reminded me that I was actually interested in martial arts, not dance. The most important thing I learned from the dance department, though, was that you must be committed to what you are studying if you plan on paying money for your studies. I realized that Universities offer amazing resources but if you are not focused enough to take advantage of them you are not only wasting your money but your time. In writing classes I learned saw the bad side of Academia: my teacher’s favorite author was the philosopher Thoroue, whom he taught but did not believe. Because I was concurrently enrolled in another writing class I found myself wishing that I could write more creatively and less critically in my American Literature class; I also found it discouraging to find so many apathetic classmates. I would hazard (guess) that in the average American University up to half of the students are only at University because their parents want them to be, and so, are not honestly interested in learning. I found that, while I was interested in learning, I was not interested in learning precisely what could be learned in university. First I wanted to learn other things.
So, I decided I should study Chinese by coming to China. I decided to use my Linguistic knowledge and love of teaching to teach the ultimate subject: communication; interaction. It took me a year to finally make it here but in the mean time I also began many new studies: of music, dance, cooking, art and friendship. I also continued to attend some university classes despite not being enrolled (Chinese 2, and Morphology and Syntax). What I have had the most trouble with is cultivating discipline with regard to independent study. Teaching does not make learning: action makes learning, not university study. I came out of the affair with 9 grand in debt and an understanding that I needed to learn how to do what I wanted to do.

你可以看照片在这里：

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30187003&id=1219272250&ref=nf#/album.php?page=1&aid=2010783&id=1219272250

我的秦皇岛之旅

去过一些天过了太好了。星期一我买了很多东西到我的课一那总是可以满足你。可是更加的我结识了新人。我的自行车链条坏了，之后我在走了我察觉到有一个人的自行车也坏了。我说了一个小话儿有关我们的相同的状况。也我们开始说点儿，我问了他做什么工作，和他问我从哪儿，可是我听不懂了他的答。还有他问了什么事我在做，所以我告诉了他:"在去买东西：一个时钟，一些很大的叶和一些别的东西。” 他告诉了我那他想帮我，因为我想认识人我觉得是好，和让了他跟我去。那过了好，他帮助了我帮得好，以后我回家跟我的新教课日用品。在家我工作一点，入装了， 然后去了学校到会李韵以致我们一起在很好吃的阿拉伯条面饭馆到吃饭。吃了吃得好以后我们去到火车站和他帮我上车。我不可以等到我可以自己做东西。
The last few days went quite well. On Monday I bought some stuff for my classes, spending money always satisfies you. But even better, I met a new person. My bike's chain broke, and while I was walking my bike I noticed someone else with a broken bike walking right next to me! I commented on our common situation. We started talking: I asked what he did for work and he asked where I was from; but I didn't understand his reply. Then he asked me what I was on my way to do, so I told him: "I'm going to buy some things: a clock, some big paper, and some other stuff." He told me that he wanted to help me. I acquiesced because, after all, I do like to meet new people. Everything went well, he helped me and afterward I went home with my new supplies. At home I worked a little more，packed my bags, and headed over to the school to meet Amily - a friend and coworker - at the school. She was to show me to the train station, but first I took her to a noodle place: Lan zhou noodles! There are many Muslims in northern china and they have a plethora of fine food establishments, namely these thin, tasty noodles cooked in beef broth. As for the train station: it went off without a hitch, but I can't wait until I'm able to do these things myself - actually I think I could have, but I'm rarely given a chance because of how helpful the Chinese (and my employers, admittedly per the contract) are.

在火车有了很多人我可以用中文跟他们聊天儿。 一个更会说英文，因此他帮助了我跟别的人话很多。那们中国人问了我很多问题，可是一个有了我以前答辩过了可是刚发现了一个新回答到，那个问题是了：“中国比美国怎么不同？” 我告诉他了他们我觉得中国人比美国少拘谨；例如我就看了两个人聊天儿而且我没懂何在觉得了他们是很好的朋友，可是他们真的刚认识了！我常常看过了那个现象。我也说了这有听吧：在美国的火车是很轻声，因为平常人不想认识新人和跟新人一起聊天儿。别意思的时候聊天儿我们说了有关蒙古因为我想去过了也想去哪儿，于是一个人察觉一个女孩子高颧骨：我马上说了那我觉得是漂亮。证明为他真的是蒙古的国籍和既会说蒙语又会写蒙文，非凡他也这会说非常好发音的英文。他正在去了秦皇岛的路上重新开始她的研究学。那个晚上我睡觉了太好。

On the train there were many people I could practice my Chinese with. One person even spoke English (with the usual Chinese flavor of dis-fluency :p Actually, he spoke quite well. Many Chinese have fine vocabularies but I would hazard most can only speak three quarters to half of the words they know); anyhow, he helped me speak with the other Chinese, translating questions across that familiar barrier - and boy did they have questions! But there's one that was of particular interest because I had been asked it before but had only just come to realize a new answer: "How is China different than America?" I told them I thought Chinese are less inhibited. I didn't mention the obvious throngs of people who are not afraid to display lack of wealth or the Chinese tendency toward spitting, perhaps I think these things go without saying. I told them how I had just seen two people talking, been unable to understand their conversation, but considered them the best of friends, only to find out (after asking) that they had only just met. This was by no means the first time I had witnessed such an occurrence either: perhaps I'm chancing upon some finer folk, but it defiantly seems to be a pervasive tendency. Consider trains in America: Conversations are constipated. Anyhow, I didn't say it in so many words, for I'm still gimp here; healing from birth defects, so we quickly moved on, and inevitably we came to Mongolia (something that happens whenever you get me talking about anything more than the food and weather). And so, someone pointed out a Mongolian's high cheek bones - to my knee jerk reaction is: beautiful high cheeck bones! Ah! Those rosy cheeks! - and so I said it. Turns out she was beautiful, and spoke magnificent english; but not only that! She spoke and wrote Mongolian as well. That night I slept well.

那其次天早上我起床一点早。平时我五点半起床，但是因为一些人得下车，他们说点儿及做噪音因此我起床了四点半。我联系了打太极经过使形象化的及聊天有关学习语言跟一个男孩子。然后，虽然我开始感觉了一点不好，我觉得我不应该未抓住这几回到更认识那位美丽的蒙古国籍姑娘，所以我问了他有关他的学习因为那永远有意思，因为他的妈妈在一个特别的学校工作又问了他有关他的家和那个中国的教育。就前我们下车我问到他的电话好，我希望了我们可以与一起保持聊络。
The next morning I woke up early: I usually rise blindly out of bed at 5:30am, but this morning I came to slowly and couldn't avoid getting up after 4:30am; compliments of some noisy folk readying to 下车 （get off the train). So, I went to the end of the car and practiced taiji (using my imagination: have you heard of the basketball experiment? apparently imagining practicing is the next best thing to physically doing it!), and chatted with a Chinese guy about studying languages. Then, although I was feeling a bit sick (perhaps do to cold, or change of climate, or simple the inevitable), I felt I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get to know that fair Mongolian lady at least a little more. I asked her about her studies (returning to QinHuangDao to resume her graduate studies), her family (father: translator and mother:teacher), and attempted the intricacies of the Chinese school system (I wonder how I will ever begin to understand it.) We parted after getting off the train: with her number in my pocket; not a novel thing since everybody under 30 wants to give their contact info to a foreigner.

以后我下车Nico开会我然后我们去了一个中国检疫检验局 。那个步骤很简单。在这个时时哪儿那个真的玩笑开时。我们去了那个秦皇岛的英孚教育学校，可是以前到一下看一个美术画廊里。然后我认识两个英孚槊售货员姑娘和Simon。我学了一点然额开一点所以问了他们有关我们的吃饭的计划告诉了我：Simon要到我们自己做饭和你跟我们售货员跟一起吃；可是我们得等到十二点。我就找到了：Simon会做太好的饭！我告诉了他可能一改再饭馆工作！以后学习了我想去打太极。所以问了：一个公园在哪儿？他们答了：任命公园里学校附近，可是我得自己找到因为他们得工作。所有我去了也的时候我不一定问了一些人。我看见了一个市集很有意思 – 再有了很多海产食品，面包，香料和别东西。我早找到那个公园然后找到了一个地方到打太极。我就玩了一个人在漫游我的附近里像他想跟我说，所以我自己介绍给他。我问了她在做什么。他答了：在去滑旱冰。我很喜欢滑旱冰所以我显然决定了去。在滑旱冰场我认识很多年经Highschool的岁孩子，和他们教我也我教他们。从他们我学了：摔了。一个孩子问了我如果我觉得中文姑娘是漂亮也要是我想一个中国女朋友。我感觉很高兴那我能了会告诉他什么我觉得；我告诉了他：对，我觉得他们很漂亮！可是，我真的觉得很多人是漂亮。如果我来知道他们和他们是太好的人我平时开觉得他们是漂亮。可是，不是足够那他们是漂亮或者太好的人，我们得有像心像想 – 我们得想做像的东西。我完了好，然后去回来学校，可是看一些人在玩篮球和我想足部建立一点汗。所以问了如果我可以跟他们玩。他们说了好，我玩了一点然后回去学校。
Afterward, a boy Nico picked me up and showed me to the place I came to visit: the government building where they deal with resident permits. They took my picture and I was done. And so the real fun began: On the way back we popped into an art gallery and I saw a beautiful watercolor by an artist from HuHeHaoTe， ZhouBo (周波). I have no idea if I'll ever be able to find more of his art here in Hohot. At the school I met some sales girls and Simon, and set myself to work (reading a book on teaching): which went slowly. I found myself hungry (I sometimes wonder if hunger is a physiological euphemism for boredom, or fear - which I also suspect to be somehow related), so I asked about lunch. I was beyond pleased to discover Simon was planning to cook for us! "But you have to wait until 12, is that ok?" I think I need to learn new ways to express excitement in Chinese. He soon brought out nice dishes of perfectly... words fail me... ricy bowls of rice, a platter of crossectionally sliced pork (whole centimeters of fat between each layer of meat) in a light brown sauce, and three bowls of a very light veggie-eggdrop soup: You don't not know what Chinese food is. I was pleased, and asked Simon if he had ever been a professional cook.
Afterwords, I found myself wanting to practice taiji, so I asked about a park, discovered (not surprisingly there was one) and set out to find it. On my way I found myself a nice market with QinHuangDao's trademark seafood (it squirms and clicks, of course). At the park I found myself a nice plot and satisfied myself. As I finished I noticed a goofy kid walking awkwardly around me. He obviously wanted to talk so I introduced myself and found out he was heading to rollerblade... or skate. In my formative years (6 years old to 11 or 12) I was an avid fruitbooter and so couldn't say no to to an opportunity. I decided, however, to spring for the roller skates because of their retro appeal and my relative inexperience (always looking for a challenge). There were a number of highschool aged youth around, and they didn't hesitate to shout and gawk, and then talk with me. One asked me if I thought Chinese girls were pretty, and if I wanted a girlfriend. I was happy that could express myself; I said, I think they're pretty, but I generally think everyone's pretty, or at least most nice people are. (The truth of the matter is, to me nice people are happy people, happy people don't usually try too hard to look pretty. I generally think ugliness comes from trying too hard and thinking to much rather than just doing.) And, that I don't really want a Chinese girlfriend, I just want a girlfriend, from any country, the catch is that we've got to be the same, not only in heart and mind, but in what we want to do. After all I want to do some pretty unusual things. I'd hate to drag someone along on all that. Anyhow, they also taught me some Chinese, and I give them the name of my favorite band (well... at least one I really, really like), then I headed back to the school. However! On my way I saw some basketball players and felt the need to work up a sweat, so I played a lil' before, this time for real, heading back to the school.

在学校我给了玮罕（我的新朋友从那个火车）打电话和我们去了到老太太笨鸡店。我们跟一起有那个英文说很多。我多屏蔽他说了多，可是我觉得是了好因为我不在乎由于我平时那么兴奋和有太多东西我想做我永不用完东西那我可以有关说。还有我感觉他觉得什么我说有关有意思。可是，我还没再给他打电话，我觉得我很早应该！
At the school I called Susan (my new friend from the train), and we went out to dinner at "Old Missis Stupid's Chicken shop" or maybe... Stupid Old Missus's Chicken Shop, I 'm not really sure. We talked a bunch in English, or rather, I talked a bunch, and I think she was interested so I didn't mind: I'm so excited all the time it's really my pleasure. It went well... but I haven't called her again yet (largely owing to the fact that we are in different cities, though HohHot is her hometown). I will call her eventually. I should call her soon.

无论从什么角度，以后又在学校我跟Grace聊天儿了有关很多东西，再我觉得我又做了最多的那说话。我看了一些的“Life of Pie”因为他吻了我：我怎么为学英文？我告诉了他，当然你应该说很多可是你也应该看很多的书跟一个人再说所以你可以听哪个队发音。真的，我觉得中文比英文的翻印更容易因为一旦你可以说好你值得看那个拼音就你可以说好，然而英文总是有别的，不一样的发音也虽然英文用语音的字，真的不是复印的字！你得听那个字或者看那个真的语音的发音以前你可以说好。我现在觉得要是你想学一个语言你还有应该写很多和找到一个人可以编辑它。
In any event, back at the school I chatted with Grace (a sales lady) about many things, and wound up reading "Lie of Pie", because she asked me about how she should study English (the Chinese who can speak any English have studied for 9 years after majoring in English and still don't think they can speak - and most of them can't.) I told her she should read more, especially text she can listen to while she reads. After all, English words have only slightly more correlation to their sound than Chinese words - at least Chinese has pinyin to help us poor gimps. I also told her to write more, especially if she can find someone to edit her writing. I hope I can find someone to edit mine.

最后我找到了自己在不耐烦地等回来；觉得我催促了Simon一些因为饿我问他的时候要去一些次也以后我们只在火车站等了代替在别的地方。最后我走了火车到呼和浩特我学了很多和没有问题之外那平时的中古男人哪像我们的外国人跟他们喝酒。
Finally I found myself impatiently waiting to return home. I think I annoyed Simon by asking when we will go 3 or 4 too many times, but I did eventually find myself waiting at the train station (I suppose it didn't matter how much I asked when, I was still going to wait). I made it back with no problems but the usual Chinese men, always trying to get the 外国人 to drink with them. I did drink a little with them, and I should have, they helped me write a fair portion of this. When I returned I was sick. Now I am better.

从圣佛朗西斯科到北京！

过去几天里，时间要比平时常多，因为开始了用中国时钟和我过去在了旅行。由于有时差的问题。第一天的我的旅行，我等到很晚才睡觉，是美国时间早上七点可是我睡觉的并不好，因为我的老爷人在早上制造了很大的噪音。所以十一点钟我就起床，在完了把我的书装入行李里。然后两点我们开了车到火车站。我乘坐的火车花了六个小时，再我转了三次才到飞机场。因为我得了转那么多和在第一的火车认识一些中国人我没能睡觉点儿，但还那整个事花费我只三十美国块钱 – 也我不管怎样在火车多半不能过了睡觉。
那个早上我接了一个日本人，他是一个建筑师也很亲切。来到美国因为他赢了一个建筑的比赛。 我们一早从左右四点到九点的时候我们可以登机聊天儿了和跟一起去到我们的飞机人口。
最后我上飞机幸好了我没有难题跟我的行李；我觉了的我可能因为我有了我的班卓琴那是很大，而且还只能睡觉一些不好的小时。但是我不应该埋怨因为我吃得很好和认识了一个友好的印度医生。我到了北京，一个女孩儿名字叫Lisa叫我起床了坐公共汽车到秦皇岛所以一个医生可以给我做检查。那个中国的医学检查不步骤简单。
后来做一个大巴回到北京在大巴上我和一个二十二岁的中国男孩子有感电影的话题。然后做那个飞机到呼和浩特在认识了两个我的新同事。

Too Much Napping

So one day me and my lil' bro Matty get home. There's no way I'd ever let him drive my car but he really wants to drive someone's car, so he does. A nice black VW get reversed full speed up two l0ng flights of concrete townhome steps and onto some partments porch.
How does a car fit on an townhome complex's porche? Much less get driven backwards up two long flights of concrete steps by an un-licensed little brother? I'm dreaming.
But reguardless, he gets out and the car just hardly slips off the edge of the porche and the dangerously shotty handrailing that ever housing complex has mangles the front left door panel/wheel well. Matty walks over with a bit of a smile.
"Holy shit Matt. That was pretty amazingly uneccissary! WTF?"
*Unknown dialogue*
There are stirrings of a front door only seconds later. I dart behind a pillar to make sure my brother is the first one seen. Astounded Guy walks out and finds his car in his driveway. He walks around the thing and findd Matt's back strutting down the walk. "Um... How did this happen?!?" He asks, obviously perplexed. I hop out from behind the pillar in the hopes of facilitating any needed damage control. But alas, I'm must have gotten distracted or something here because the world sorta goes to hell.
Matt talks himself back into the car (because the guy doesn't want to drive it down all the steps?!?) His front door sorta turns into a garage door and and like... disappeares; now you can back the car off the sidewalk and it's in a parking spot, as Matt now does full speed. He flys into a coldesack and turns 90*. Now, by some gymnasic feat of drousy logic Nathan is now with me. Maybe he lives with me in this townhome dreamworld, maybe next door with the numerous chubby rocklovers dancing at this very moment in the slushy colde-sac, or maybe we were meeting at my place all along, but now Nathan leaves me with the Calmly astounded Guy. Before we know it Nathan has jumped onto the rack of the black Jetta and Matty is doing backwards doughnuts in the colde-sac. At this point I don't really know what to do for the guy other than offer him some sort of an explination of their persona. 19 and 16 I say, as if that explains it...
Matt speeds off into the city streets with Nathan clinging (for dear life?) onto the car rack.

I can only guess at the psychological pressures that would produce such a freak sotry. Anyhow, the real question is who the fuck doesn't get pissed when some random unlicensed 16 year old some how manages to get his key, damn near destroy his car and then joyride it. Apparently this Calmly Astounded Dude is in my head; I'll have to get to know him better.

We spent nearly a week in UB before we headed out for Bayan-Olgii. On the recommendation of a US grad student visiting his home here in Mongolia (and for lack of much else to do) we went to check out the clubs. Since we don't have a car we obviously have to walk everywhere. Along the way you always find at least two or three uncovered manholes scattered around the streets and sidewalks. Crossing the street can be quite dangerous as there are rarely and stoplights, most people pay no attention to the crosswalk law and the nicest most will do if they're about to hit you is swerve - you will get a few that will slow down for you but most do expect you to watch for them. The country is quite poor. Though you might not guess it from a lineup of the exceedingly fashionable people the standard of living is low and there are a fair number of homeless. Our first encounter was with a guy who tried to pass some story about his ger being burned which he accompanied with a startling preformance of despair (I wish I could have taken a picture of his face - maybe I'll try to find him and pay him for a photo.) Aside from him there are lots of children and my aunt explained about one family with a few children. The oldest is perhaps 15 though he's about the hight of a ten or eleven year old because of malnutrition. Apparently though aid groups have tried to help the family who's mother and father are alcoholics. For instance, they bought them a ger which was burned for firewood. And so the family sleeps in an abandoned Soviet build apartment building (most people live in occupied Soviet built apartment buildings). Lastly there are the police and prostitutes. The police are quite intimidating - and not in the way US police may be. These police look like rogue police. They are in black and wear baggy-ish pants and cargo boots. I can't tell what their relation is with the hoes but when walking back late from clubs you'll invariably see both - often within blogs of each other. The prostitutes start to show around 9-10pm when the sun starts to go down and their soliciting increases quickly according to the hour of the night and even faster in the morning hours. They all know basic english like: "Hello, how are you?" and "Night, Night". I had one even come up and walk arm in arm with me for a few paces. I'll give some pictures of this city sometime before I leave back to China on the 23rd. But no more pictures until I get back from my camping/hotspring/homestay/sandboarding/horseriding/hiking trip on the 15th, I leave later this morning (it's 9:25 on the 11th).

So then, after our first week in UB we went to Bayan-Olgii, which I supplied the map of, to see my aunt Barbara, the Mongolian Kazak population and Sogo's up and coming Kindergarten. We hooked up with Alan Flux, a British born voulenteer designer who was working with the UN in Olgii/Ulaankhus/Sogo, to ride to the airport and out to Olgii. The airport was plain. They did have security but it was all quite haphazard compared to US airports. They charged you 2500 tugrug per kilo of baggage after the first 15 - roughly 2 American dollars. We took a bus out to the smallish propeller plane and settled in for the ~3 hour flight. The food was pretty terrible. Half of the sandwich tasted like sushi and the other half freak mayo. The drinks were normal at least - actually they had fancier juices - like peach and pineapple (plus your regular orange juice). Eventually we arrived and were picked up by my aunt and her friend Kapitan who doubled as our driver most of the trip. The airport was a good ways out of the city and had no plumbing, I think adam took a picture of the toilet. We followed an intertwining field of dirt roads back to the quarter paved city center of Olgii and arrived at the apartment (or flat is you're British) we were lent by another friend of Barbara's. Then we went out for a preliminary tour of the city. There are only a few apartment buildings in the whole city - most people live outside of the city center in adobe houses or Kizigwees (the Kazak ger) with little yards where they dig their toilets and the like (our apartments had a flush toilet, though the water would turn off occasionally). The town has a Soviet built square, five Soviet built schools (named by number), a police station, parks office (seems to be closed), one turkish resturaunt, one mexican resturaunt (that didn't have any of the non-Kazak food afterall), a few kazak resturaunts, one post office, a video store (with rooms to watch, per the custom) a bazar, two or three outdoor pool halls, two dialup internet cafe's and probably fifty little cornerstores. They don't have a trash dump, you just burn your trash in your home or publich dumpsters; the #1 place for dog and cow scavangers. Anyhow the city wasn't so bad. It was kinda nice to walk around the residential districts were you can see family's playing in their yards, kids causing ruckus, and people welding on cars. In this part of town there's also climbing gym that's being built in part by a guy who's training locals in mountaineering and climbing so they can be guides.

Anyhow, that's that and I'll tell about my fun trip to Sogo when I get back.

Beijing to UB

A big long train ride

Rewind back to when I was in Tianjin and we leave for Beijing the afternoon before our morning train tickets to UB. Adam, his cousin and I take a taxi to the Tiajin train station where we eat at the chinese fastfood resturaunt pictured below and find a freelance car ride to Beijing (faster than the train because we don't have to wait for it.) We stayed in a hotel for the night and left on the train in the morning.
I had thought the train ride would be over at 2pm the same day but the truth was it was 2pm the NEXT day. But no problem, I had plenty of books and of course you can move around on trains so I was able to exercise a little too. We ate noodle bowls and boiled eggs bought from the train platforms along the way. Around midnight we reached the border were they had to change the wheels on the train so that they could run on the Mongol tracks. Then they kept us up longer with the customs ruckus.
The next day we arrived in UB and were picked up by my uncle Greg. The parking lot was mayhem and the driving just as bad. There are some pictures of the intersection outside my Aunt's house to give you an idea. To be fair it is one of the worst.