Here’s what went down in the last week and a half – my apartment is spotless – almost sanitary. I’ve spent an enormous amount of time studying Chinese – I’ve memorized four hundred characters since I’ve returned from Kashgar. I also acquired salsa – this was harder than it sounds. It took me three long, hard days of visiting import shops all around Beijing to find the right salsa. I’d been given a large bag of white corn Tostitos (that’s a long story that I shouldn’t tell without getting permission. I’ll ask and let y’all know how it works out) before I left for parts distant and I wasn’t going to eat them without the proper salsa. Beijing has food from all over the world, but Mexican food is few and far between. There is one restaurant (which I know about, there are probably more) that sells Mexican food in Beijing; it is unlike any Mexican food that I have ever had. That’s not a good thing.

Wednesday night I went to Tomato, a new Italian restaurant in Wudaokou, with the Brassers and Jared English. The food was good and the company was great. Afterwards we went to Sculpting in Time, a coffee shop next door to Tomato that is known for its slow service, and discussed handwriting – theories on and what ours looks like and used to look like. After that we went to Wisdom, an adult toy store, according to the sign. It had numerous games and brainteaser-type puzzles – we didn’t buy anything, but we looked around for a good, long time. When we had finished, the Brassers took off for home, while Jared and I headed back to my place to watch Fight Club, a movie that Jared had never seen. That was the extent of my past week and a half. I could write more, but this is it for the moment.