Breaking Down, Freaking Out

Four days.

Four days until I get on a plane in Los Angeles to fly to Tokyo. Then to Beijing.

Three days until I get on a plane to fly to Phoenix for less than twelve hours so I can fly to LA earlier in the day than the flight from Nashville would get me there.

I am FREAKING OUT.

Earlier in the week I had made a list of things I needed to buy at the store before I went to China- things I needed to pack. Well, silly, unorganized me decided to lose that little piece of paper. I like to lose things a lot lately, it seems. I lost my first sash for a dress for a wedding I was in two weeks ago, and just recently lost my iPod charger (I need to find that so I can survive the marathon flights). No, I wouldn't lose my head if it weren't attached to my body- that would just be plain silly. Needless to say, I went to the store sans list this afternoon to get things I *think* I needed from my list. I called my mom to get her opinion on which size hand sanitizer I needed- the travel size bottle, or the bigger bottle with the pump. I told myself I only needed travel size, so I bought two, but my mom told me to buy the one with the pump. I just want to be able to carry it with me without having to deal with it getting everywhere or using to much. Does that make sense to anyone else besides me?

Anyway, we moved on to the sunscreen area, and I started to ask her which sunscreen to buy, when it hit me. I AM GOING TO A COUNTRY WHERE I KNOW NOTHING. I started crying in the middle of the freaking Wal Mart like a crazy person. It didn't last very long, but I don't know what happened! Anyway, I got my sunscreen, moved on to bug spray, and decided to get some fruit snacks and granola bars for the plane ride. I was in Wal Mart for TWO HOURS (that is utterly ridiculous, I know) and spent about $80 on what seemed like nothing. Little things add up I guess- all for my medicine cabinet, too.

I totally brought it on myself, though. I mean, I am the biggest procrastinator ever. I don't know if I like to call it procrastinating... more like avoiding. Like, maybe if I just avoid it, it won't happen? Not this time, though. Too much money already spent on this sucker. I think once I get there I'll be fine, it's just the prepping, and traveling alone that I am NOT a fan of whatsoever. Why did Megan have to leave already? And THEN come back a day before me? It's a conspiracy, I tell you. Either way...

Well, here I am again avoiding things... sleep. If I go to bed, that's just one day closer to something I'm not ready for yet.

AHHH, FREAKING OUT!

Tomorrow after church I'm going to be making some t-shirts. I still need a couple of ideas if anyone has any out there for USA!

USA is A-OK

SWEET, RIGHT?!

Well...



HAHA! God Bless... America!



Megan leaves for China... TONIGHT!! Wish her well on her travels! Please be alive when I get there!

It's Independence Day!

Happy 4th Everyone!!




Did you know that fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago. The most prevalent legend has it that fireworks were discovered or invented by accident by a Chinese cook working in a field kitchen who happened to mix charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter (all commonly found in the kitchen in those days). The mixture burned and when compressed in an enclosure (a bamboo tube), the mixture exploded.




China is also the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world.




And... in case you were wondering what chemicals that give the fireworks their color:
Red - Strontium or Lithium
Orange - Calcium
Yellow - Sodium
Green - Barium
Blue - Copper halides
Purple - Potassium or Strontium + Copper
Gold - Charcoal, iron, or lampblack
White - Titanium, aluminium, or magnesium powders




Did anyone watch the fireworks display on NBC from New York City? Well, apparently, the one for the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing is going to be FOUR TIMES the size of it! That's like... $28 million! NYC display costs about $7.2 mil. Amazing. But, Nashville doesn't have a bad show either, if I say so based on my pictures from the roof of the Sommet Center downtown!



I love fireworks! Don't you?



Happy Independence Day! And way to go China on making fireworks by accident! We love them!

Did you know?

- The Chinese government and the Beijing Organizing Committee recently issued an official guide to cheering.
Here's how it works!
Step one: Clap twice while shouting, "Olympics!"
Step two: Extend your arms forward, make fists with your thumbs up, and shout, "go!"
Step three: Clap twice while shouting the name of your favored country.
Step four: Extend your arms upwards, fists clenched, while shouting, "go!"


- In preparation for the games, Chinese officials are encouraging locals to study English. Cab drivers and policemen have been ordered to learn 100 common English phrases, and officials hope that as many as 1.5 million Olympic volunteers will pick up some English. The leader of the effort is motivational speaker Li Yang, who claims to have helped at least 50 million Chinese people through his program "Crazy English."

- Table tennis, or ping-pong, is the national sport of China. The game originated in England in the 1880s as an indoor version of lawn tennis. It was credited with helping thaw U.S./China relations in 1971 through "ping-pong diplomacy" – so named because of a trip American players made to take on the Chinese. The game debuted at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, and the Chinese have won 16 of a possible 20 Olympic gold medals.

- China is known for its distinctive cuisine, and Beijing is particularly famous for its Peking duck, which dates back to the 14th century. To prepare it, the duck is first roasted in closed or hung ovens. Then the chef slices its crispy skin and tender meat at your table. One noteworthy fan was Richard Nixon – the former president sparked a Peking duck craze during his historic 1972 visit to China.

- China is the birthplace of chopsticks, which are believed to have developed there more than 3,000 years ago. But this ancient technology has sparked a modern debate. By some estimates, China goes through about 25 million trees to produce 45 million disposable chopsticks. Some environmental activists are calling for China to issue a ban on wooden chopsticks.

35 days to go until Beijing '08!
28 days until China!

Drinks, Drugs, & Dinner

Well, not a whole lot has changed since my last post, except for it's 29 days and counting until I land in Beijing! I flew home last week for vacation, and it was lovely! That doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but my Grandpa had written me a check to take care of the dinero I owed to Megan. I have money saved, just NOT ENOUGH. I owe him BIG TIME- literally and figuratively.

Anyway, when I was on the flight, i decided to have a Diet Coke. I was excited to see that on the can was an Olympics symbol and a Beijing '08! I took a picture of it, then explained why to the lady I was sitting next to so she didn't have the extremely confused look on her face.



I know, I know... it's just a can... but it's SO exciting! Haha! And they have Coca Cola cans that have the title in foreign languages. I've seen the cans from Thailand, Russia and USA, but I still have yet to see China's. If anyone gets a coke can with Chinese on the can, save it for me! Please? :) Oh, and random note... one of the flight attendants was a Chinese man! Good times.

On the idea of food and beverages, I was googling Beijing and found on someone else's blog that they have Papa John's there! Megan and I are going to get a pizza when we're there. There's also TGIFriday's, Outback Steakhouse, and of course McDonald's. And we're definitely going to have to eat at Hard Rock Cafe Beijing because it's just the thing to do when you're a tourist! I have to pick myself up a shotglass, haha!

I also mentioned that my typhoid pill wasn't ready yet in my previous post. The day I got into Phoenix, I got a call from Walgreens saying my prescription was ready. So, when I got back to Nashville I went and picked it up. Fifty glorious dollars later, I ended up with 4 teeny tiny pills!



I figured they would be horse-pill sized, but I was clearly wrong!



So, I have taken one, and have three more to take, then I'm really set with my vaccines! I'm not sure what typhoid is, but I won't be getting it! (Well, at least let's hope not!)

Megan and I are getting all decked out in our USA garb for the trip, and Megan is making shirts for us! At least I think for the both of us, I'll have to check with her on that. We've got some fun ideas, but if anyone has a good idea for a shirt, let me know!

Alright, that's enough randomness for one day! I'm going to go back to watching King of Queens, where Doug just got Chinese food from a Chinese man with a British accent! They're everywhere! ;)

Tootles!

P.S. - I just noticed that the penny I'm holding in my hand next to the typhoid pill is from 1996- the year the Olympics were in Atlanta! Sweet!