I’ve been in need of some new photos for my website, another site i write on, and a few other random things coming down the line soon. So, my wonderful friend Stephen took a lot of photos today. We had a great time shooting digital and film. He even took some shots with a really cool “large format” camera. I don’t even know what that means, but the photo folks out there will know. Here’s one shot from the day:

I just arrived to Birmingham, Alabama for an action packed weekend. I’m staying at my friend Stephen’s beautiful loft apartment in the middle of downtown. We’re on the 5th floor with massive windows that look out into the city. I have high hopes for a fun and productive weekend. Here’s what i’ve got on the schedule:

Saturday A.M. - Early morning meeting with Bedouins International. They’ve got lots of great projects coming up this year that i’m excited to hear about.

Saturday afternoon - Taking some photos with Stephen Devries.

Saturday evening - Catching up with Stephen Proctor from g.i. inc. He’s coming down from Nashville and i think we’ll get to talk about some vision for China and for a web project we’re trying to finish.

Sunday A.M. - Not sure. Maybe church somewhere?

Sunday afternoonish - Try to catch up with Daniel Bashta and Jason Morant before they start setting up for their night of worship at Workplay. (7p.m. if you’re in the Birmingham area)

Sunday night - Workplay (it’s a venue)

That’s what i keep telling myself over and over again as i have a paper due today that i just found out about yesterday.

“I love to write…. i love to write…. i love to write…Ok, let’s write this paper.”

I can hear you all asking, “How did you just find out about this paper yesterday??” Let me explain.

It’s my fault. I don’t read my mail all the time. I’ve had the assignment for a while, but i just read the assignment for the first time yesterday. So here i am diligently writing a paper that i have to email to the professor by the end of the day.

Your next question is, “What are you writing about?” I’m writing about the value of being an excellent English teacher in China. It’s very similar to the reason we should be excellent doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, musicians, filmmakers, pastors, social workers, etc, etc.

I digressed from my paper so that i could give you this post… now back to work…

“I love to write……….”

One of my favorite pictures that i took in China has recently become my desktop background. I’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again, i don’t claim to be a great photographer, but i do enjoy capturing everyday moments. This lady was sitting on the concrete in a parking lot selling vegetables. When i asked to take her picture her response was that she loves it when people take her picture. She was so kind. I should have bought some veggies.

I went to the dentist today. After she jabbed and poked and clean and did all the horrific things they do the lady said to me, “Now for the dreaded floss.” So i responded, “Everything is dreaded.” It’s true. I was laying there on that chair trying to figure out who actually enjoys the dentist. So, in my attempts to take my mind off the misery i thought of a couple of ideas to make my visits more enjoyable.

1. Put a T.V. on the ceiling so i can watch the news while you jab that sharp hook thingy into my gums.
2. Stop telling me everything i do wrong, give me some positive feedback.
3. Our society has some of the most advanced technology in the world, but you’re telling me we can’t find a pain-free, worry-free way of cleaning teeth?

In unrelated news, i hope everyone knows that my Twitter post was meant to be funny, not necessarily a hate letter toward Twitter or it’s users. I like Twitter and i have met some cool people there, but i really don’t care what flavor ice cream you just bought with your 6 year old cousin. That’s all.

Happy Wednesday.

Twitter is the People Magazine for all the non-important people. That’s right, i said it. And yes, i’m on Twitter so call me whatever you want. You can be as defensive as you want or you can roll on the floor laughing, but Twitter.com exists so the non-importants can feel important. We pick up a People Magazine while waiting in line at Publix because we are interested in what George Clooney puts on his hotdog. It also fascinates us to see what Christian Bale did on his vacation and what he wore to dinner. Why do we care about the tiny details of these people’s lives? I have no idea. I personally dislike People Magazine or any other celebrity magazine. But, in our constant search for celebrity status we flock to twitter.com to create our own People Magazine where we pretend that people care about our every move. Next up, a website that takes your picture every few seconds and posts it online. It’ll be the paparazzi for the non-importants.

What are your thoughts on Twitter? Do you Tweet? Why?

I like bullet points. This is my weekend. Happy Monday.

• Will came down from Memphis so we had breakfast on saturday.
• Also at breakfast was my friend Chad that loves to talk about China. That means i like him.
• Lunch at home, then a one hour nap. The curse of living in China is that you start to enjoy afternoon naps.
• Met a new Chinese student at a coffee shop. His first words to me, “My english is very poor, can we speak some chinese?” Absolutely.
• Saw the new Mummy movie. Don’t go see it. Trust me.
• Went to bedside baptist.
• 3 hour lunch at Nihon with Katie. She just came back from Hong Kong so we needed that time.
• Dinner with John and Katie. Good times.
• Ate Skittles.

You??

Was it the fireworks? The world’s largest LCD screen? The dancer painters? The light up people? The light up drums? I don’t know what i could say was my favorite part… i just know i get excited again every time i think about it!

I was blown away! The opening ceremonies were absolutely the best live show i have ever seen. It was better than any concert i’ve ever seen, it was better than any live performances i’ve ever even heard of. I was so proud of China and despite any controversy i think the success of the opening ceremonies was something they needed. My cell phone and instant messenger were both going crazy all night from friends that needed to tell me that China is the greatest country ever. And i agree. Watching the performances made me more excited than ever to get back to China and be in the middle of that culture again.

If you didn’t watch the opening ceremonies then more than anything i am sad for you. Please, just go look it up on youtube and watch it. It’s worth it. It’s amazing. You won’t be disappointed.

The Olympics in Beijing officially begin at 8:08:08 p.m. on 08/08/08. For a moment i think we need to look past all the controversy of the Olympics and the protests and the blah blah blah and let’s ask one simple question: “What is up with all those 8’s?”

The answer is not that it’s coincidence. (Update: I stand corrected, read the comment from Rita) The number eight in China is considered a very lucky number. I don’t think our American culture minds can fully understand it. I mean, the Chinese really love the number eight. People pay extra to get 8’s in their license plates, people love to get married and have babies on a date with an 8 in it. But why eight?

The number 8 in Chinese is pronounced “ba.” This sounds similar to the word “Fa” which means wealth. So, you get it? Ba=eight. Fa=wealth.

You are now one step closer to being ready to live in China.

I keep telling myself that i’m not in America to work. I work in China and i relax in America. Those are the rules, right? Wrong. I can’t deny that i have some responsibilities to fulfill while i’m in the states. I have design responsibilities with Encounter Media Group, i have school work responsibilities for graduate school and i have China responsibilities before returning. Working is just part of it. Lucky for me, i love what i do. As a designer i more-or-less work for myself, as a grad student i get to work at my own pace, and the China stuff i can squeeze in whenever i want. So the rules are rather simple, just get the work done. The problem is that i am king procrastinator. I play, i drink coffee, i talk to people, i read a million things on the internet and neglect the pile of books i should be reading.

I tell you all of that just so that i can say that i will soon be working on a new plan to become more self-disciplined. I’ll let you know how that works out. In the meantime, let me tell you two things that have been bothering me:

Number 1:
Whenever i sit down with a friend for coffee or lunch i always hear this, “I’m sorry, you must be so sick of talking about China. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to because i know you answer the same questions all the time.” For the record: The answer is yes, i do tell the same stories over and over again. But that’s what i’m here for. I’ll tell the same stories a billion times if it will open up just one person’s eyes to the grandness of what’s happening in our world and how we get to have a part in that.

Number 2:
Whenever i ask people why i haven’t seen them i typically get this answer, “Well, i know you are so busy and have so many people to see so i didn’t want to bother you.” My response: Are you kidding me? Yes, it’s true, i do have A LOT of people i want to see while i’m in the states, but is that really a legit reason for you not to try to contact me? I want to sit down with as many people as possible and catch up, so let’s make it happen. But let me give you a hint: e-mail me, don’t call.

Ok… so let’s recap: I’m going to become more disciplined with the responsibilities that are in front of me, i don’t mind saying the same thing about China over and over again, and finally, let’s hang out.