Entry #16: New Follower!

Score! I got myself an eighth follower -- welcome and thanks for joining, Cathy!

I haven't been really very good about updating my posts, but this will all change here in a month or so (given the Blogosphere is not censored of course during the time I am abroad). . . However, just to cover my basis, I will be giving my parents instructions on how to update the site. So, even if I am unable to upload my posts directly to the system myself, I will send an e-mail across the ocean and have someone in the states carry out the updates; I hope to make them daily, but in all reality, it will probably  be every other day.

Currently, I'm working on a pottery project to take over to China with me. It consists of numerous, very small bowls that I hand threw on the potter's wheel and will hopefully be able to "give to China." More on this to come by the end of the week, so keep checking back. I appreciate those who follow -- and, like I keep saying, I always want more. . . I'm jealous that way. I can't help it [shrugs].

Also: talk to me while I'm away -- or now. Comment on posts, etc. Write what you want. Post what you want. This can be your blank canvas too!

See ya soon!

Entry #15: Please Follow the Highlighted Route. . .

My departure date will be here before I know it. Oddly enough, even though I will soon be leaving for China via airplane, I wondered how long it would take me to walk/swim -- you know, the ol' fashion kind of travel that requires one to get their shoes dirty and their muscles aching to an extravagant point before realizing it's time to rest (thank the lord for modern times!). Thanks to the oh so intelligent Google Maps, I discovered it would take me approximately 127 days and 18 hours to get to my destination via the power my body produces.

Google Maps very kindly and sweetly told me to "Use Caution! This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths. . ." Really? I had no idea. 

One doesn't always need a clearly defined path to get them where it is they want to go. Whether it be a high speed thorough fare or a dirt path bruised by a horse drawn cart, one must adapt to the situation at hand and go with the flow. As I prepare for my trip and think about what it is I will eat, where I will sleep, how it is I will effectively communicate (for example, will I curl up into a ball and desperately long for my English words back?), and the inevitable occurrence of getting lost, I realize I must adapt. 

For those of you who know me well, you'll understand me when I say that my directional skills are borderline nonexistent. One might even go as far to say that I have an undesirable mental condition that prevents me from locating the correct destination, even if it is the next door neighbor's house. Not exactly wonderful for a boy exploring a foreign land. . . So we'll just see what kind of navigational dangers the winding, curving, maze-like streets of Chengdu, China have in store for me. Bring it on!

All I can do is thank the universe for Google Maps -- and the little highlighted route, which I usually always "modify." 

[Oh, wait. . . Google is censored in China still. AHHHHHHHHHHH!]