March 25th: kite quest and beard funeral
[ posted by mcdeviltoast ]
Day 190
Friday once again arrived on swift wings. Classes went well. After lunch Jeni stopped by for tea and then we went on a quest for kites. We rode up to Dongzhou Park, as per my students' advice.
I was unable to find one with a long majestic tail, but Jeni got one with a fu manchu beard and Chinese opera face. Very cool, colorful. We attracted a gaggle of onlookers, including one chap who knew enough English and pantomime to harp on us about locking our bicycles even though they were in plain sight. We relented, if anything to shut him up, proceeded with our kite business.
To transport it back, I stuck the kite in my backpack and it hung over my left shoulder like a cannon barrel. I rode past people closely, "inadvertently" poking the end of the kite in their face, cracking myself up. We got to the field and were mobbed by primary kids all giving their two cents in Chinese about how to fly it.
The wind was terrifically strong. No sprint was needed to get it in the air. The effort was in reeling the bastard in, and Jeni was hearty. She may have discovered heretofore unknown seafaring skills in herself. I had to cut kite time off to teach the last two classes, and after those I did something drastic: I executed the beard with extreme prejudice.
The main reason is this: there was a patch near my chin that was brittle and kept breaking off. The longer the rest got, the more it would look like I had mange. A 9 month beard would have been cool, but not with a huge hole in it. For chrissakes, I was starting to do a beard combover in the mornings! Times supermarket has shaving cream now, so I won't be marooned in stubbleville.
It also occurred to me I might have been subconsciously "hiding" in the beard. How brave am I in a strange new country where uniquely "me" things such as my dimples are safely bunkered? Call it a Samson test. Also, I'm in China and can get away with the most ridiculous facial hair ever. Why limit myself to a beard? I can rock a handlebar mustache, muttonchop sideburns, whatever tickles my fancy. I'll be stared at with equal curiosity. Plus, when the weather turns warm I won't be uncomfortable, nor have a fucked-up tanline. (I won't get hassled at airport security now either.) So, apologies if I let anyone down who wanted to see it in the flesh. I didn't want to be Mangeboy.
All of us (even Andy) went to the sheep place for la zi ji ding and we let off fireworks on the way there; those whizzing bombers with report. All six went off, huzzah! We feasted, listened to a rockabilly sampler I'd brought along, swapped student stories. Mike, Andy and I ganbei'd a pepper at the end that left us euphoric afterwards. We got some ice cream on the way back and mine had a corn-shaped, corn-flavored cone wrapped around it that actually wasn't too bad. Andy swore his mushed pea popsicle was decent but I didn't try it.
Another batch of fireworks were bunk, so Mike and I took them back to dude and he gave us a fresh box. This time, all of them worked. Happiness. Jeni, Heather and I had wine and chocolate, watched Ice Age. We had originally planned on going to the club, but somehow an hour and a half got devoured on the way back to the school and the club would have been closed. I quickly became a bed burrito.
Friday once again arrived on swift wings. Classes went well. After lunch Jeni stopped by for tea and then we went on a quest for kites. We rode up to Dongzhou Park, as per my students' advice.
I was unable to find one with a long majestic tail, but Jeni got one with a fu manchu beard and Chinese opera face. Very cool, colorful. We attracted a gaggle of onlookers, including one chap who knew enough English and pantomime to harp on us about locking our bicycles even though they were in plain sight. We relented, if anything to shut him up, proceeded with our kite business.
To transport it back, I stuck the kite in my backpack and it hung over my left shoulder like a cannon barrel. I rode past people closely, "inadvertently" poking the end of the kite in their face, cracking myself up. We got to the field and were mobbed by primary kids all giving their two cents in Chinese about how to fly it.
The wind was terrifically strong. No sprint was needed to get it in the air. The effort was in reeling the bastard in, and Jeni was hearty. She may have discovered heretofore unknown seafaring skills in herself. I had to cut kite time off to teach the last two classes, and after those I did something drastic: I executed the beard with extreme prejudice.
The main reason is this: there was a patch near my chin that was brittle and kept breaking off. The longer the rest got, the more it would look like I had mange. A 9 month beard would have been cool, but not with a huge hole in it. For chrissakes, I was starting to do a beard combover in the mornings! Times supermarket has shaving cream now, so I won't be marooned in stubbleville.
It also occurred to me I might have been subconsciously "hiding" in the beard. How brave am I in a strange new country where uniquely "me" things such as my dimples are safely bunkered? Call it a Samson test. Also, I'm in China and can get away with the most ridiculous facial hair ever. Why limit myself to a beard? I can rock a handlebar mustache, muttonchop sideburns, whatever tickles my fancy. I'll be stared at with equal curiosity. Plus, when the weather turns warm I won't be uncomfortable, nor have a fucked-up tanline. (I won't get hassled at airport security now either.) So, apologies if I let anyone down who wanted to see it in the flesh. I didn't want to be Mangeboy.
All of us (even Andy) went to the sheep place for la zi ji ding and we let off fireworks on the way there; those whizzing bombers with report. All six went off, huzzah! We feasted, listened to a rockabilly sampler I'd brought along, swapped student stories. Mike, Andy and I ganbei'd a pepper at the end that left us euphoric afterwards. We got some ice cream on the way back and mine had a corn-shaped, corn-flavored cone wrapped around it that actually wasn't too bad. Andy swore his mushed pea popsicle was decent but I didn't try it.
Another batch of fireworks were bunk, so Mike and I took them back to dude and he gave us a fresh box. This time, all of them worked. Happiness. Jeni, Heather and I had wine and chocolate, watched Ice Age. We had originally planned on going to the club, but somehow an hour and a half got devoured on the way back to the school and the club would have been closed. I quickly became a bed burrito.
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[ posted by mcdeviltoast @ 3/25/2005 12:30:00 AM ]
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The dumbtronica act Montana & McDeviltoast, along with their friends, keep each other updated on their activities. Much fun having by all, and Pockys fear for their lives!