I have had a good 36 hours (as of 10 pm.) I think I'll explain in reverse chronological order. Why? Because I can.

3 hours ago – present
Compiled, processed, edited, and arranged this blog (also updated my gradebook while I was on the computer.) I had Godfather III on for background noise.

3 hours – 5 hours ago
Walked around the Alien's Street Market – it's an indoor market in the CBD (Central Business District – due east of the Forbidden City) in which the majority of the sales clerks speak Russian and Chinese rather than English and Chinese. I bought a tiny little Christmas tree and a few ornaments – my goal is a reproduction of the sad little Christmas tree from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, and I think I'll achieve it. Also checked the price of ice skates – I can skate on the pond in the campus common (when it freezes, of course.) I noticed a lot of leather goods – this seems to be the place to get “quality” leather products in Beijing.

5 hours - 7 hours ago
Ate an early dinner + transit time. 'Nuff said.

7 hours – 11 hours ago
Karaoke at a KTV club in the New World Shopping Center – this was strange. I've done karaoke in the US – late at night in front of everyone in a smoky bar that has vintage 70's décor. But here, karaoke is done in a small private room – no drinking, no harsh smokiness, no vintage 70's people (or décor.) Everyone takes it very, very seriously. I went with Jared, Mike, Christie, and a bunch of people that I didn't know – students at Tsinghua University who attended a seminar that Mike gave – one of them won a gift certificate to this karaoke place from Mike's company and invited M+C (and anyone else they wanted to bring.) It was an OK time- I didn't know many of the songs, but Jared and I did an excellent rendition of “In the Jungle.” (I know I'm biased.) I sang the melody, he did the oweemoways. We're thinking about competitions – as seriously as people take karaoke here, there have to be quite a few.

13 hours -11 hours ago
Got up, got ready, and moseyed over to the NWSC. Once again, 'nuff said.

13 hours – 22 hours ago
Sleeping. (It was good – I hadn't been sleeping well)

22 hours – 28 hours ago
Hung out in my flat – moved furniture around, did the rest of my lesson plans, waged war against the grime and bacteria in my bathroom, (it was really, really bad – but it's operating room clean now) and watched Godfather II. Received a call from Tang, the editor of College English. He asked for a hard copy of what I'd submitted earlier.

29 hours – 28 hours ago
Had a tasty supper of Mongolian hotpot at a nice restaurant – by myself.

32 hours – 29 hours ago
Walked to IKEA – it was a beautiful day, I didn't even mind the hour it took. I bought a rug, hangers, a shower curtain, and a bunch of other things that I didn't really need.
Took a taxi back – my spoils were too heavy to carry back on foot.

34 hours – 32 hours ago
Went to the head editor of College English's office at noon to drop off an essay that I'd been correcting and submit my own version of it (on a floppy disk – I wasn't going to handwrite out a hardcopy.) The door was open just a little bit; the lights were on. No one else was in the Foreign Language Department; everyone was at lunch. I walked into the office – he wasn't there. I put the envelope containing the document and my floppy disk on the desk, and walked to the door. It had shut. (All doors in the FLD lock when shut, and you need a key to open them – the knobs don't have a latch.) I reached for my cell phone and realized I didn't have it on me. So I sat down at his desk and waited until people returned to the FLD after their two hour lunch. Since he had numerous pencils and pieces of paper on his desk, I composed a little poem to vent a few frustrations while waiting for my eventual rescuers. I'm going to included it – it isn't finished and I make no claims about whether or not it's “good poetry”, you may read at your own risk.

My smooth predilections were brought to a halt
by a student who claimed it was all my fault
that she wasn't learning anything worth knowing -
the things I was teaching appeared to be flowing
in one ear and out the other – not sticking or stopping.
I opened my mouth and prepared for the flip-flopping
of her opinion since my expressions weren't guarded -
offend your teacher in China and you'll be awarded
a failing grade. But she wasn't finished (just flustered -
probably checking to see if the courage she'd mustered
had melted.) stating, “I think we should do more speaking in class
and less listening.” Shocked - I should have waited, let it pass,
and let my internal censor work- and inspired, I said,
“then you should speak – so far today I know I have led
well, tried to start three discussions, but class was silent -
were you just tired or bored or did you not know what I meant -
were the directions confusing, did I go through them too fast?”
But she didn't answer my question – she let it go past
and stood there smiling,

36 hours – 34 hours
Taught my last class of the week; received conformation from Patricia (my boss, who was sitting in on my class as part of a study) of a rumor that I'd heard from Stephanie (from Australia, the other foreign teacher in the grad program.) The rumor? That our classes are finished on December 20 instead of January 10 (which is when the other programs and foreign teachers finish – suckers.) Since the last week is the final exam, I have three weeks to teach, a week of finals and then a paid six week vacation.