November 21, 2012

A benefit of uprooting your life and moving into something completely new is how it forces your brain to reactivate.  Living somewhere, or doing anything the same over a long period of time makes the little things a lot easier, and I find myself longing for the similar.  At the same time, I can feel my mind expanding and searching out for new things, and find myself asking "why" a lot more.  One of the questions I have asked frequently is why are the locals so afraid of the water...in particular the rain.  They will all immediately pop their umbrellas out at the lightest of sprinkles and will keep them up long after the rain has stopped. 

In Seattle, the use of umbrellas is negligible and it is more a sign of a true local to walk around in the rain without one.  Some people (OK, the Q&A section of the Playboy centerfolds) will say that a turn-on for them is a walk on the beach.  I like those too, but I also love a nice walk in the rain. 

So I've been asking what the deal is with the umbrellas to nearly everyone I meet and never got a good answer...until today.  My Chinese teacher is a fantastic resource for cultural information.  She gives a real answer, unlike Betty or our cousin Sharon that just makes stuff up in an attempt to shock or horrify us.  The teacher said the reason for the umbrellas is due to the acid rain.  Shit.  She said to wear something black in the rain and you'll see that'll make permanent spots on your clothing.  It'll also make you go bald.  Double shit.  I have noticed a lot more hair falling out lately.  I read up on it a bit and it is true, and although they say it has gotten better in the last few years, increased pollution coming from China doesn't bode well for it to go away.  I was watching CNN during their coverage of the mainland Chinese power transfer the other day, and the correspondent was talking with the city in the background and the pollution was horrific...way worse than what I remember in LA in the 70's.  Check this out.   

Another answer I got recently was why there are so many stray dogs roaming the streets.  They don't seem wild and as I 've posted before, they seem quite smart and harmless.  What I was told was that when people grow tired of their dogs, they just kick them out of the house and loose on the street.  That made me sad...

Speaking of dogs, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we are going to have about 17 family and friends over to celebrate.  We have an oven, but it's kinda small and the temperature is a bit unpredictable, so have ordered one from a tasty American BBQ joint that we discovered recently.  You know what a Turducken is of course...well here they have a Turdogen.