Polar mosquitos and the return of Elvis

Yes, it's getting to be full-on winter here in Sichuan, which means that Elvis has again returned. Elvis, the zippered fleece pullover, that is. When we arrived, our apartment's closets were filled full of the legacy leavings of at least eight years' worth of foreign English teachers that have worked here in the past. One of my most cherished finds is a semi-ratty black and gray fleece, dotted with little pills on the fabric, but so warm and comfy that it's rapidly becoming my official second skin from late October until March sometime. Oh, and the label reads "The King - ELVIS Presley" (see photos above and below). What more do you need? A big thank you to Kevin or Sarah or Matt or Heather or Owen for leaving it behind.



If you've been reading the blog for over a year or so*, you may remember that it gets fairly cold here - mostly because "indoor heating" is really "indoor boosting of the outdoor temperature by about 5°F or so". Previous entries here and here, for those interested in the full scoop on this. (Or if you want to see a cold and grumpy Jane wearing cute Eeyore slippers.)

This year's cold doesn't seem as bad to me, probably because it's only the very tail end of November. Actually, the fact that almost every single indoor space in America is kept to a uniform 68 to 72 degrees year round kinda boggles my mind about now. What's bugging me now are the mosquitoes. (Oh, whoops, unintentional lame pun. Oh well...)

It's down to the low forties every night both indoors and out, and there are still one or two of the critters buzzing around within an inch or two of my ear every time I'm at the computer, or if one of us forgets to zip up the mosquito net over the bed. The cold doesn't seem to slow them down at all - if anything, it makes them more annoying. Maybe because they can detect body heat much more easily in the cold? Or maybe it's because they've got to keep those tiny little parkas on all the time as well, and they're just as miffed about it as we are.

*You've been reading the blog for over a year or so? Seriously? And you're, like, employed, and everything? Wow, wonders never cease...

Getting Education Rolling

In the "Links I'm posting only to remind myself to check them out more when I have the time" category comes Redu, a constructive, positive site that not only talks education reform, but has a lot of good stories on what people are actually doing to make a difference in the system.

A whole lotta pink

Another picture from the Lotus wholesale market in Chengdu. And yes, pink is a girly girl color over here in China as well.

Incidentally, did you know that in the late 1800s in the US, pink was used for boys and light powder blue was considered a girls' color? As a shade of red, pink had the meaning of energetic, healthy, and powerful - as in the phrase "in the pink" - and therefore masculine. Meanwhile, blue was considered to be a more docile, relaxed, and melancholic, with more feminine overtones.

The original meanings, if my memory serves, faded around the turn of the century, and our current system of pink for girls and blue for boys started to catch on in the twenties and thirties. Anyway, that's what I remember from an incredibly interesting article that I read once and am too lazy to look up at the moment... (Would somebody care to Google it for me and get back to me with the results?)

All our links must go!

Here at the Slow Boat warehouse, we've got all sorts of links just sitting around the warehouse that I've meant to piece together into long, well-written posts that will take your breath away with my hard-earned knowledge and deep and lasting wisdom. And you know what? It ain't gonna happen. No way no how.

So, in the spirit of the Season, I'll posting them all online with very little comment in no particular order. Like a special holiday clearance / advent calendar / annoying Secret Santa kind of thing.

Anyway, to get you started, some cool pictures of China. Enjoy!

Body scans, freedom, risk, and innocence

I've been following the latest tempest-in-a-teapot body scanning controversy from afar, and, while I've got my own opinions about our poor ability to evaluate risk and the current state of fearmongering in the States, this post offers the clearest (and most chilling) take on the issue that I've seen so far:

Things we do to innocent people to prevent terrorism

Turkey revisited

Even though I haven't seen anything resembling a turkey since I've come to China (well, okay, chickens do resemble turkeys, so I take that back), I've recently fallen in love with 火鸡 - their name in Chinese. Say it with me: "huo ji." Literally translated, it means "fire chicken", so I've now got all sorts of pictures in my mind of turkeys running around with fire helmets and capes on, or jumping motorcycles through flaming hoops a la Evel Knievel.

Also been thinking a lot about vegetarianism a lot, especially since Jane's been discussing it in her three environmentalism classes that she's been teaching. So I thought that this post was worth sharing - about a guy in the Los Angeles area who raises and (very infrequently) slaughters his own poultry. The authors warn that the content is "not for everyone", but, no, I think it is for everyone. Something to get a good post-Thanksgiving discussion started, anyway... I've got more thoughts on the issue, but will leave it at that for now.

A last note - Homegrown Evolution is a great site on urban homesteading, gardening, and simpler living in general. Check it out!

Slaughtering Turkeys for Thanksgiving
Homegrown Evolution homepage

Hello, everyone...