My CNY diary: Day Two.

Here are my diary entries transcribed from my hand-written journal of the second day of my five day odyssey to the Beixing, China countryside for Chinese New Year:

• I was listening to a podcast which raised the question in my mind of whether glorify the inauguration as a celebration of American Civic Religion and how far America has progressed on race, or to keep it simple in the manner of a modest commercial republic. I choose the latter.
• Glorify garbage men and cleaners. (*You have to see the mess the countryside is in to see what I felt it necessary to enter this thought in my diary*)
• In-laws have it good for them. They have a simple compound that satisfies all their needs. I have never lived in anything so primitive in all my life. Still, live in the countryside of China has improved. I tell myself to imagine how it would be in other times and other parts of the world.
• No hurry. It is not often I can be in that mode. Usually, I have somewhere I have to be.
• I didn't watch television this day and the fireworks bored me. The fireworks here were cheap. They were more noisy than flashy. I remember the fireworks shows in Canada and America drawing big crowds. I remember feeling cold about the show and annoyed about the inconvenience these shows generate.
• I did overhear someone on Chinese television say "Chinese people of all ethnic groups". This was on CCTV9, the English language channel which showed the CNY t.v. extravaganza with translation.
• Mass dancing. Lots of it in the CNY extravaganza. I also notice.
• Live in your mind, I tell myself. It is okay. Stop wanting to live in the mind of others.
• I am what I want to be. I have what I have always wanted now. I just need grace.
• Tony unscrewing bottle caps. I show him. I will always be a teacher. Teaching Tony is teaching I can look forward to doing.
• Listening to another podcast. I notice that is has been popular to use the word "boilerplate" to describe Obama's speeches. I used that word to describe 0's second book. What is "boilerplate"?". I must check.
• I got to visit some houses in the neighborhood. I almost enjoyed it. I became curious to see how others in the countryside live.
• Jenny has a dentist cousin in the army. His rank is Major or something like that. Jenny is not sure.
• I see a bunch of teenagers outside a school. How could this be? They are going to school this day, my wife told me. This is New Year's.
• A few of the girls look at Tony. His appearance excites women of all ages.
• Tony points to a jar of ping pong balls in a shop. I buy him two balls. He holds onto them until we get back to the in-laws.