Salutations from the Swimming Sausage!

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It has been brought to my attention that my updates have been severely lacking in over a month, and for that I do apologize, and offer the excuse that I have merely been living and thus have found it difficult to imagine you would find my day-to-days entertaining. I believe life has officially switched from novel to normal, which (unless I was an ego-maniac) does not bode well for consistent descriptions. .

Another year of my existence on this earth flew by, and I am now hopefully a little wiser with the addition of time. Being away from home I had expected to allow the day to pass by unnoticed and merely take stock and look forward... my roommate had other plans. The weekend that immediately followed my birthday I was given strict instructions from him (and his loyal pals) to attire myself in 1920's themed apparel and advised that I was being taken out on the town for some serious spoiling which would include a candlelit meal, fantastic wines/champagnes, and an exclusive 20's theme party. The boys were adorable and absolutely committed to decking themselves out as authentically as possible; complete with sharp hair-slicking by yours truly. I was very impressed and quite overcome by their thoughtfulness and generosity. I mean: steak, wine, and costume party? (They know this girl well!) My parents also managed to make this birthday a truly unforgettable experience by depositing some extra cash into my dismally drained accounts. This spike in riches allowed me to (finally) purchase a bicycle, which is something I have been yearning for since day one in Beijing. A Finnish pal of mine was quite the gallant prince in accompanying and advising me on my quest for wheels and was able to assist the purchase of the most glorious of bicycles. I am head over heels in love with my bike and rejoice in my daily excursions to explore the city streets. Most friends think me quite mad to still be biking in the bitter cold, but nothing short of flooding is keeping me off my wheeled steed. I finally own a bike basket and the sheer novelty of its existence has greatly increased my grocery shopping as I take obscene pleasure in placing my items inside and pedaling home. My perpetually plastered goofy grin is 80%!g(MISSING)lee and the rest is attributed to the fact that it is freezing outside and stuck in that position.

Life on the job front has had it's expected ups and downs. Apparently I did jinx myself and did not end up landing a real role in Empires of the Deep (I hope that movie tanks). Muaha... however, luckily voice recording did pick up and the last three weeks or so I have been rushing around madly (working every day) to different studios to wrap up projects before the holidays. I also reunited with my previous production team for another project which took up most of last week. They forgot to cast an entire unit, so I was even able to snag a last minute spot for Emily, which was great fun to have a pal on set. All projects besides tutoring have wrapped for this month, so I suppose buckling down and finding more filler work is a current necessary evil. "Oh but I won't think of that now, I can't think of that now... I'll think of that tomorrow, because tomorrow is another day!"

Experiencing a Chinese indoor swimming pool for the first time was quite remarkable. A friend of mine had been telling me about this relatively cheap place he had found nearby and has been offering to show me the place for quite some time, as I had expressed a desire for some swimming. He warned me that I would need a one-piece suit and a bathing cap, and having neither of those things, I just decided to accompany him to the pool and make all necessary purchases then and there. (Stupid, stupid, stupid). It was the typical Chinese shopping experience of not being allowed to try any of the items on, so I decided to make the purchasing as quickly as possible. I chose the least heinous model (basic black) in XXL which I was assured to be "my size" (inward groan) and a boy's black cap, as the girls options were a disgusting pink and floral array. Bleh. Nonetheless, I was excited to finally get the chance to swim! I walked into the changing area and began to wedge myself into this horrid spandex nightmare... all I can say is that they don't make the XXL like they used to, and I ended up looking like a poorly stuffed sausage. It was a humbling and mortifying sight. One look in the mirror caused near vomiting and serious consideration of hiding in my locker until it was time to leave. However, I am made of sterner stuff than that (and hadn't ate dinner yet, so there was nothing to upchuck) so I steeled my nerves, completed the grotesque display by placing the bathing cap on my head, and headed out. Luckily no one dropped dead from the mere sight of me and I was able to spend a happy hour doing laps. It's funny how quickly I forget and then remember how much I enjoy swimming. The only thing that motivated me to leave was my growling stomach demanding its dinner. This desire to feed forced me to sprint out of the pool (trying to avoid notice) and I must admit that it was a great relief to strip off that odious garment and hit the showers... even with the many curious glances and outright stares cast my way as the sole foreigner in the joint. (Apparently I am quite the strange sight). After this experience I decided I needed to find a bathing suit that fits and after endless searching I have come to the conclusion that there is no suit to be found that will fit a western body... which is a ridiculously depressing fact.

It seems that most of my friends will be returning home for the holidays so I really have no idea what I will be doing to celebrate Christmas. I have a stocking hanging on my wall (thanks mom and pop), an inflatable tree, and a bunch of x-mas tunes on my computer... yes, a wild day to be had. Simon is deserting me but has promised to bring me back Swedish foods (after the Lucia party I have been craving it wildly!) My complex lake is nearly frozen and in the evenings the outdoors look quite festive with the lights reflecting off the ice and the bushes are all decked out with twinkly lights... I hear you all have snow at home. It feels odd to not be back right now with you all, but I sincerely hope you have a happy holiday!

Much love from Beijing!
xoxo

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Comments

[Allen Olson]

Swimming Sausage
You could make a whole TV series based on your adventures. I am sure that Chinese TV would pick it up and run it opposite the world war 2 shows about those dastardly Japanese and the one glorious Chinese soldier who defends the poor downtrodden peasants from various atrocities. Perhaps there was a woman pilot in the Flying Tigers you could play her. Snow was here but melting fast as temperature rises and rain falls. If you get the chance go the Summer Palace. Amazingly cold. . It was fun watching people skate with their sleds. Best thing about it no crowds. Allen