Too many days off.

This is my second day off in a row. I haven't had this for a while and now that I do, I feel strange. What am I going to do today? Having no child and wife around, time is very empty for me. I wondered how I got through all those years before when I was single. (Truth is, I just barely survived the long stretches of having nothing to do and no responsibility.) And now, that I have all this free time to blog, I notice I had better ideas for what to write about when the time I had for blogging was limited.

But I will get through somehow.

The movie Laura which I watched last night did in fact have the music for the song Laura that Sinatra sung. The tune played through out the movie, although the lyrics were never sung. The movie was a one time watch. The movie's flaws included some hamy acting and a need for the script writers to have the audience be told everything instead letting them figure things out for themselves.

The movie Laura was directed by Otto Preminger, meaning that I watched two Preminger-directed movies yesterday (I also saw Anatomy of a Murder).

Today, I will watch two David Lean directed movies: Great Expectations and Summer Time.

I have read the first chapter of Obama's Audacity of Hope. He paints his political activity in an idealistic light, makes reference to real-life issues, and then laments the wrangling over them. His solution is to be above it. Or so it seems. So, I would say the book is not so illuminating so far.

Obama writes of the need for a new kind of politics. How about, a debate on what Government can and cannot do? What I mean is, politics is about acquiring power. You can't escape the fact the politicians have to get power. And getting power can be a dirty business. The best you can hope for is that the people know this and so judge accordingly. Obama should just lay it on the table and tell the voter that this is how it is, and not try to be above it all as he is in the book. He should point out that as long as people don't come to blows, anything goes in political fights. The people have to be tougher and suspicious, because they ultimately get the politics they deserve. And the government they deserve too.

Obama says politics are more divisive than ever before. I have to disagree with this assertion. I think it has been divisive always. If anything, there is more of a blanket-headedness to not realize this.


There is a chilly air in the apartment this morning which accounts for why I overslept, and awoke feeling groggy and like having a hangover. The apartments in Wuxi are made of brick and are not insulated. There is no central heating so heat is provided by air conditioner units. I don't have the a/c machines set to provide heat yet. Or rather, I should say the wife hasn't.

My sister sends me an email telling me that a collection agency is looking for me. The reason being medical insurance. Living in China, I just let the insurance I have expire. I never gave it much thought. But the email has me wondering what my status with the governments of Canada is since I have not filed taxes (I pay in China). And in B.C., you did have to make monthly payments into the free system. I stopped doing so when I came to China.

This afternoon, I shall ride to Downtown. I am thinking I will do some shopping in the Baoli Carrefour. I will buy a bag of things I need for the week.

With the wife away, I was able to do some cooking. I didn't make anything special. With all these things I wanted to do, I couldn't devote myself exclusively to doing one thing very well. And being in China and in the suburbs, I find that I am always missing essential ingredients that I need to make something. For example, if I want to make a sauce I need milk which is never easy to come by and now is forever tainted.