Shenzhen Zen

With a Little Help From My Friends
Back "home" after an often frazzled visit to my homeland with C. Couldn't have done it though without tea, sympathy, meals, lodging, transportation, conversation and some adult beverages courtesy of a host of friends and family.
Chris, the entire Smallwood clan, Kim, Hans, Fritz, Janeen, Matt and Debbie, Sherry, Leland, my dad, Julian, Da7e, Rob, Joe, Ernesto Che, Mary, Chris P., thanks to you all.
And Flatirons Mall, I hope to gawd I never hobble through your tainted environs again.
One thing about cross-cultural experiences that C and I remark a lot on but can rarely find real common ground on is that experiences in China which fascinate me can often bore and irritate the hell out of her and vice versa. From my point of view see: an American mall during Christmas season. From her point of view see: my repeated questions and superficial observations regarding Chinese customs and methods I'll never fully comprehend.
So I guess it's an even exchange.
And we're moving to another apartment this week in Shenzhen, C tells me blithely today over the phone at the last minute. I knew it was due, but had no clue it would be so soon. I'm gonna miss the Lucky Number and its neighborhood. Home no. 3 in Shenzhen (counting two different apts in the Lucky Number) will be slightly more upscale and more secure (as in, no Chinese Block Captain cadres monitoring her birth control methods) in an also more sterile area. Kind of a Shenzhen yuppieville. No handy corner grocery stores, no wet market, no DVD pirate boyz, fewer trees, probably fewer children, less public transport and definitely a lot less soul. But there is a balcony with a great view, such as they are in Shenzhen.