Um, so in case you aren't aware, the Seahawks just won their first playoff game for the season. This matters. Mostly because: Go Hawks, but also because I actually got to hear it live! Thank you, Steve Raibel.

As you can probably imagine, in a country of 1.3 billion people and a tiny studio apartment with an unemployed roommate, alone time is scarce. Basically nonexistent. So those 3 hours alone with my homemade cinnamon pear pancakes, Jai Ming Buddha tea, and the Hawks kicking some Lions butt, those were paradise!

We have been making a concerted effort to take more pictures of our daily life. Yesterday it was rainy and nasty, so we didn't go much farther than the mall downstairs for entertainment. Happily, China is filled with new and amusing nuggets every day. You shouldn't be surprised to hear fireworks on a Tuesday afternoon, or see an inflatable pig on your way to lunch. Here are some pictures of our daily outing:

We had fried chicken for lunch. They kindly provided plastic gloves to keep out hands clean 😃

Salads in China apparently consist of cabbage, mayo, and ketchup...yum?

In the middle of the mall, the inflatable pig, as promised. He was dancing with his oh so uncomfortable sidekicks. At one point he started to deflate, so he had to stand to the side while his suit filled up with air again. Also, yes, he had a snot drip purposefully on his nose. No, I don't know why.

And finally, we ended the afternoon with a side-by-side cheesecake taste test. Rich bakery won, if you care.