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Published: December 9th 2009
Not much to report, but I thought I should assure you that I'm still alive. And that I'm not sick.
It's December now. The school year is one third over. Time flies when you're in a pattern. I feel like yesterday was Friday--how did it get to be Wednesday already? Wait, where did November go?
I've done some grocery shopping this week. Twice, in fact. Both times I was assaulted by music that shouldn't exist, much less be played. The first time was a very jazzy version of "Feliz Navidad" with equally inappropriate singing. Spanish, English, extra pep, in China while shopping in a Japanese grocery store? No thanks. Tonight I was assaulted by something a bit more religious in nature (irony, anyone?) that sounded like it was being played on a child's toy piano, with singing to match. Such a joy to my ears. Really, Jusco, give it a rest! Most of your shoppers can't understand the music anyway, and those who can most likely aren't appreciating it.
Today I wired money home. First I started out in the main section of the bank, which is normal. Then I was escorted to the VIP section. Dinah had said this branch does that. I was quite pleased to be sitting on a leather loveseat rather than standing in a very long line. After waiting about 15 minutes, another woman gestured for me to follow her. Okaaaay, Dinah had never mentioned this before.
We went outside, and a few meters down was another section of the bank. It was like a secret special section. That required a key card to open the door. One man sat alone on a long leather sofa filling out paperwork. It smelled nice. It was quiet. It was empty. When they seated me in a velvet and leather chair in front of the woman who processed my papers, I decided this must be the Ultra-VIP section.
More than once she told me to, "wait a moment," and I always replied, "okay." I think "wait a moment" is the one phrase people here seem to know besides "Do you like Chinese food?" and "You speak Chinese so good." The last is uttered no matter how small, slow, or wrong your Chinese sentence is.
At the end of it all I couldn't find the code number to give my father. It wasn't really obvious on the papers she gave me. "Code?" I asked, not sure what else to say and with no idea how to explain it in Chinese. Luckily she understood. I explained I would give it to my father. I was complimented on my amazing Chinese. I will be returning to this branch again.
One of the high points of my week was finding out about all the snow Minneapolis and Wisconsin will be getting. There are some predictions of a blizzard. I do not miss it one bit.
That's really all the news there is to tell. I've been busy with life in general. The more work I do, the fuller my plate seems to get, rather than the opposite. And there are no larger plates.
Hopefully the benefits will be worth the work. I'm optimistic.
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Dad
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Must be nice..
Gee. Private banking. When I pick up your $$ at the Western Union counter at the local Fry's grocery store, I have to stand to fill out the form, wait in line along with all the people complaining they were overcharged 3-cents on a can of tuna or trying to cash in non-winning lottery tickets. Then, I have to walk over to the Wells Fargo bank branch at the opposite corner of the parking lot and stand in line there while realizing that the "free" coffee is cold and that they are, once again, out of cookies. The things I do for my favorite kid!