Swim and eat rocks.

In all honesty, I sort of hate the blog. It's a jumbled mess, reflective of my life.

I almost hate it as much as the Chinese men that send text messages saying "I was divorce. I think you the one," offer to marry me for $40,000, or assume that since I'm American it's OK to ask if we can practice sex.

Almost, but not quite.

Olympics: Most people in China are really, really excited about them. The slogan "One world, one dream" is everywhere, which should provide some insight into how China sees the upcoming games: as their debut into the international flat world. People here still idolize the west, and America's consumer goods, high living standards, and overall perceived wealth most of all. They don't see a mortgage crisis or debt problem, just big houses and cars. Historically, China has gotten knocked around rather badly by the western world and this is their chance to show everyone what they can do. I think they'll blow our socks off.

People are proud the Olympics will be here, and are all expected to do their part to make Beijing shine. Today I saw a billboard that said, "My Olympics, my contribution, my happiness." This is a good example of modern Chinese thought; nation, family, and self, are all tied, are all one. When news of the anti-China riots spread, all of the profile pictures on QQ (the most popular instant messaging program in China) changed from photos of individuals to an icon of the Chinese flag with a heart, and the words "I love China." ALL OF THEM. The intensity of nationalism here is a powerful thing.

As I'm sure you've heard, it is now ridiculously hard to negotiate visas due to the games. The government isn't even giving out ones that last longer than 30 days, so if you happen to be already living in China, this can be a major problem. I know people who have lives here and already have tickets for the games, but since their visas will run out before, they might not even be able to attend, and might have to leave until October.

That's right, the fuel is controlled by a foot petal, the cart to the left is full of spices, and one of them is MSG, the root of our newest classified taste, Umami. Service is so fast here. This is why.