Well Let's Just Call a Spade a Spade

Since working in China reminds me of a three ringed circus (although in this case we have added issues: the animals have been shipped to another city, the lights don't work in one of the rings, the clowns are on strike, and the audience was expecting a baseball game).... A few more pics here for Sobes before I depart for Beijing. I don't know if I'll have access to my computer for the trip, so this may be the beginning of a 10 day hiatus for Paddy. I'll be back to Shanghai on the last day of July and then return to DC on 2 August. So all of you better mark your calendar and shine your dancin' shoes cause I got a date with a big girl named Nanny and you're all on chaperone duty. Mr. P recently wrote me to say he's looking forward to a Misty evening as well...if you get my drift WOP.

The shot to the right (and above) came from the Chinese circus, tickets to which we had to squeeze out of Mr. Kwan from the kickback money he swindled from us in Hangzhou by taking the group to a tea plantation 'tourist destination' - these are all over China and entail taking a bus of Westerners to some local craftshop or factory with a shop attached that charges 400% more than what is normally changed. This is normal business in China; we figure one of Kwan's associates was set to make about $1000 from our visit to the tea plantation before Taeko got wind of the whole deal.

After a class in traditional Kun Opera the entire program went out to get a 'glimpse' of several stagings of a few classic works. While I enjoy the costuming, I have to admit that I find the 'music' and stylized movements rather annoying (Sully and Mully know what I'm talkin about).