Okay, it's time to bring back this journal. I've been thinking about it for quite a while, in fact. I've just been getting the urge to express myself in writing (which is the only way I really do, heh...) more and more these days, and it's not like there's a lack of material. Yay! Happy! LJ and LJ people!



(See? That felt good.)

Long story short, I was hospitalized for three days for possible/probable infection of my kidneys after a bout with a UTI or a few.

Rewind a bit.

Right as the doctors told me my UTI was not in fact, over, and that my white blood cell count was not, as it should have been, 0 but instead much higher than before my treatment, and that my kidneys were possibly in trouble, and that I would have to stay in the hospital for 3-5 days....

...

I FAINTED.

HAHAHHAHAHA

I FAINTED ONTO THE OFFICE FLOOR! I EXPERIENCED SOCIAL-ROOTED SYNCOPE! I AM A TRUE SOUTHERN BELLE!

This tells you a lot about Chinese hospitals, doesn't it?

Speaking of Chinese hospitals, Phillip was coughing up blood in Beijing and freaking me out, so I made him go to see a doc before we set off for our wild west trip. They left him with a diagnoses of bronchitis, some meds, and a lung Xray he had to lug around all day. What else would YOU do with an Xray of your lungs at Tiananmen Square, huh?
( Read more... )

It's been years, literally, since I posted on here! (Unless I updated last Christmas, in which in case it's been *a* year.)The reason is a good one: I have to use a proxy to access LJ in China, logging in to post is a pain in the ass. (EDIT: Wrong! I updated last March. HEE HEE)

My life is good... and weird and surreal. It's 100% different than it was since I updated this thing back in February of '07, or even December of '07. It would take page upon page to describe it. I don't even know what to say/write on the topic. If you remember me at all, that was never a problem. Hahaha.

Like most people, I experience the occasional, 'What the hell do I want to do with my life?' But this is a rarity. Life's too good, and frankly, life in China keeps you on your toes with your head in it, so you don't have too much time to ponder the question. 

I've made friends, lost friends, discovered talents, memorized TS Eliot poems, bought my own treadmill, climbed the Great Wall with my brother (and part of it with my mother, hehe), gotten us around China with my own limited Chinese speaking, seen crazy turnovers at work, gotten 150,000 foot massages at the Xiao Shan Holiday Inn, met hundreds of Chinese students, eaten a truckload of MSG, listened to live jazz in Hangzhou with good people, met a good guy, gotten the good guy addicted to good shows and good music, started ordering groceries from an import supermarket in Shanghai each week, laughed a zillion times, started a YA sci-fi novel, and gone home for Christmas twice.

This is Christmas trip #2.

This is my mommy's picasa page, with pics from when they visited me two months ago.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ngb6456

So what's up? Hahaha

Quick preface: How could I have forgotten how much I LOVE Led Zeppelin?

I'm just beside myself with the Led Zep love right now.

Recap of 2007: This was the year of 'Discovery' and coming into my own. 2008 will be the year of Completion and Discipline. (Hey, Susan, there's completion again! hehe)

I ....

--waited on the last table of my life around February 24th and offered to buy them a dessert for the occasion, which they regarded with suspicion and turned down. Hahahah

--Moved to China by myself. Boarded the plane not knowing a single person on the other side of the ride. Exhilarating!

--Discovered I love teaching, especially low levels and beginners, and have the potential to be really good at it. In the process, I discovered what money-work I would love to do back in the USA.

--Met a very interesting human being from Inner Mongolia and gave her impromptu sex-ed lessons! How many people can say they've done THAT one?

--Met two of the coolest American girls I've ever known in person. For that matter, I met and work(ed)...let's see....about 20 people from different countries.

--Became a 'foreigner!'

--Started learning Mandarin Chinese....kind of. Wo de Putonghua=bu hao!

--Discovered at least 200 new bands/musicians that I will love til the day I die (for me, this is a biggish deal!), and rediscovered Maurice Ravel!

--Learned that I can indeed quit Diet Coke without blinking an eye as long there's a suitable caffeine source on hand

Two most important, in my opinion:

--2. Learned that nothing is ever going to happen to you, me, or anyone. Absolutely nothing happens to you. Nothing falls into your lap, and there is no such thing as luck. If you really do want something big and crazy, you have to take yourself out of your comfort zone--obliterate your comfort zone, in fact. You have to almost terrify yourself shitless by writing, orchestrating, and conducting an entirely new life for yourself, and you can't quit the song if one of the musicians fucks up. Bad analogy? Sure!

--1. Started writing my first book and shed ye ol' blanket of writer's insecurity and procrastination I once kept over my head!

In short, '07 was one of the best years of my life. It was a wind-up year, and I intend to make '08 the 'motion' year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2008, bring it on, bitch!

Please post your responses or links or acknowledgments to http://quakerclass.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-privilege-do-you-have.html

The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.

If you post this in your blog, please leave a comment on this post. To participate in this blog game, copy and paste the above list into your blog, and bold the items that are true for you. If you don't have a blog, feel free to post your responses in the comments.


Father went to college--Both my parents went to a technical institute as their higher education, but I don't know if it's counting those. It's not 'university,' so....
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
Were read children's books by a parent
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Your clothing was bought new before you turned 18
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them when you turned 18--I was 17, I think. It was a used Honda Civic.
There was original art in your house when you were a child
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home--Since I'm a dolt, I don't know if they mean 'they're paying the mortage every month' counts.
You had your own room as a child
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

Sad story: My cousin got a young dog--a white lab-- shortly before he left for Iraq and gave it to various friends to raise while he was over there. The dog was really special to him for a lot of reasons, but especially, I think, because he knew had a pet to come home to when his tour was finished.

This weekend, he and his doggie drove from Ft. Sill Oklahoma to the boondocks of central Texas to visit with his dad for Christmas. My cousin let his dog out to go to the bathroom, and the poor dog ran out into the road, which is usually deserted, and got hit by a car and killed.

My cousin is super upset, and I don't blame him. :( Gosh, that sucks.

Semi-Cool Story: When I was 12, I used to randomly tape stuff off the classical station. There were three pieces I taped once that I loved beyond all others. They were so cool and beautiful and atmospheric and made being 12 a hell of a lot easier. (Haha). I lost the old tape years ago, but I always found myself wondering what those songs were. I only had snippets of the DJ's words at the end of the songs to help me out. One of those snippets was, 'That was Concerto for the Left Hand in 'Something' Major.'

Anyone of my generation can tell you that your first inclination back in the early and mid 90's was *not* to 'just google it' if you wanted to know something that was nagging away at the back of your mind. What you did was ignore this nagging thirst for random knowledge, or go to Best Buy or other place where such a question *might* be answered, and look around. So that's what I did for about 15 years, if I ever thought about the three classical pieces I loved.

I'd like to extend a hearty THANK YOU to emusic, who promptly returned Maurice Ravel's 'Concerto for the Left Hand in G Major' when I did a search a few months ago. This 18 minute, 25 second concerto defined my early adolescent years, and I still remember every nook and cranny and high and low of that song to this day. For the record, I'm listening to it right now.

And I've also realized my almost life-long love of Maurice Ravel's music. Ravel's music is the audio equivalent of Edward Hopper's paintings--lonely, beautiful, nostalgic, and full of shadows punctuated with sudden onslaughts of rich, warm colors.

In short: Poor doggie. :( and I recommend Maurice Ravel's music if you like Edward Hopper's paintings.

CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!!!

(to all you who celebrate it, and even if you don't, I hope your December 25th just so happens to rock)

:-)

It needs to be said that Robyn = LJ Lazy. There. Got that out in the open.

Here is what's been going on: I'm doing what I set out in the world to do--namely: write a book... any book. As it turns out, that book is a YA mystery/sci fi/fantasy/adventure (series). Whoda thunk?

( Nobody woulda thunk )

I was reading bad joke after bad joke, so I wasn't expecting to laugh. When I was finished this one, I was startled by a deafening roar of mirth I soon realized was coming from my own body.

Little Johnny walked into his dad's bedroom one day, only to catch him sitting on the side of his bed sliding on a condom. Johnny's father, in an attempt to hide his wood, bent over as if to look under the bed.
Little Johnny asked curiously, "Whatcha doin', Dad?"

His father quickly replied, "I thought I saw a rat go underneath the bed."

Little Johnny replied, "Whatcha gonna do, screw him?"

First off, here are all my pictures. I've completely forgotten how to do all this fancy LJ posting stuff, so have at the link!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Robynblocker

( I hope I remember how to do one of these here lj cut things )