5:05 PM View

 So far, the holiday’s been a real barn burner.  So much is happening, I’m at a loss to describe it with words that would do it justice, but I’ll give ‘er the ole college try just the same.  That is, if you don’t mind.  Not that I would care either way what you thought since you lack the courage, the foresight, the forbearance and the virility necessary, it seems, to make comments or send me emails.

What pathetic readers I have!  Screw ya!   Especially if you can’t take a joke.

So far, on this holiday of holidays, I have gone downtown in Jiangyin to have some Mickey D’s, buy a MUSU beer and some cheap paper towel or toweling.  I mean we:  that is, my son & I..

That overly long ceremony of earlier today got me to thinking which lead to me lamenting.  Thinking about my past, I realized it was a strange and fortuitous journey to get to be sitting in that theatre on a campus in Jiangyin, China.  While I have had to endure some humiliating situations that I am loathe to speak of, I realized I had managed to make it so far without ever succumbing to things like drug addiction and divorce.  There was a time in my life where I moved a thousand miles to a place just hoping to get a job when I got there.  It was the longest bout of unemployment I ever had in my life and the stress cut me to the thick.  But I landed a job.  It was minimum wage and I didn’t have a car. I bought lots of books though.  I endured it because the place I lived in was beautiful.  But it was lonely too.  The only thing that saved me was someone, I delivered pizza to, offering me a driving job that made more money.  From there I was able to go to China, live there for 20 years. meet Jenny, have Tony and somehow end up teaching in Jiangyin.  What I lament is that my personal story would not resonate with the students we have at our school.  It probably wouldn’t resonate with the Chinese in general because my journey wasn’t conventional.