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After messing around with various connection options, we’ve found HMA to work pretty well. If you have a connection problem, you can select the option to find a random open server address. That always works. Sometimes it’s slow, but then haven’t found any service that occationally isn’t. We have the HMA Pro, which means you pay a little more. I think it was about 80usd/yr, worth it. You can have two users, on two different computers, on one account also.
Took a bus ride with a friend on Saturday to Mianyang. My first time out of Chengdu. Somehow I expected the air quality to change for the better. Not. About 30min northwest out of town, there was a distinct burning smell. It looked and smelled like it does in the US when there’s a forest fire. Visibility worse than in Chengdu. By the time we got to where we were going in Mianyang, a little bit of blue sky did appear here and there. Glad to know it’s still there. Anyone know of additional burning taking place?
And I might add, I just was reading an article about how HBO is trying to modify its practices to ‘avoid piracy.’ Yeah, right. This seems like the perfect way to entice pirates and their followers.
Thanks for that info, Ben. I just checked it out online and now realize that we would need to have access to/pay more for HBODOH, er I mean HBOGO, to watch. I think we’ll just have to wait for the box set in a year or two. Or else we’ll give torrentz a try. Thanks!
Just made a heinous discovery. It doesn’t look like we’re going to get GoT on our HBO station. Does HBO have different versions? And is anyone recording the series?
Not sure if this is the place to add this comment, but I had a young guy wearing a suit and looking somewhat ‘official’ show up at our apartment door (Master Bldg) knocking vigorously and persistently who I thought was from the management office. I opened the door to see him holding a folder opened to a page showing dead bugs (cockroaches, I think) and a syringe kind of thing with goop in it (bug poison, I’m assuming). He didn’t speak English and my 10wd Mandarin vocab wasn’t doing much, so he finally left. I called the rental agent who eventually got back to me that the management office hadn’t sent anyone. So much for all the so-called security and a big DUH for me. The guy was a salesman. Hope he didn’t plant any future prospects for business!
The redhead, if that’s a serious question, is James Holmes. He’s the guy who showed up dressed in costume, at a movie theater near Denver and opened fire at the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. 12 dead. Interesting that the guy had been in a PhD program in neuroscience, but dropped out. He was seeing a psychiatrist, but was still able to amass an arsenal. US Congress can’t even get it together to pass a law requiring background checks on all gun sales, although I don’t know if that would’ve helped in this case anyway. Not likely much will happen legislatively in the near future to reduce gun violence.
Are there separate places for women to go? When I had a massage in Beijing with two women friends, they ushered us all into a room with three upholstered chairs. We took our shoes off, that’s all. Then, three young women marched in and proceeded to whack us in a syncopated rhythym (a nice jazzy sound) on various parts of our body, while we soaked our feet. Then they marched out of the room, and three young men arrived with sets of carving tools (for callouses) YIKES! Have to say, they were awesome on my callouses, though. The girls returned to finish off the feet, presing in places just long enough to bring on a scream, but releasing before sounds came out of our mouths. Also great! I wouldn’t mind repeating any or all of those experiences. Nothing creepy about that place at all. Not that happy ending places are creepy…just not what I’m looking for.
Thanks for the comments. I’ve checked out Dan’s work on his website, and it’s very impressive. Unfortunately, I’m not able to take his class right now either. But, good to know he’s a good guy.
Hate to say it, but husband and I are fans. There was a pretty funny Saturday Night Live skit about GoT that featured what was supposed to be about a 15yo boy who was the creative director, producer, and grand poobah of the show. Whenever he was asked about a particular scene and how to improve it, he replied (with a brace-festooned smile), “MORE BOOBS!” along with a few other pointed suggestions. Sex and violence, the ‘Murikan way! But really, who couldn’t love the blonde who threw herself upon her husband’s funeral pyre and emerges unscathed with a coupla baby dragons? Yeah, damnit, we’re fans.
For now, I can tell you to go east on Linshiguan Rd from Remin South Rd 4th Sec, on the side of Linshiguan across from the Consulate (north side). Just kind of poke your way along the shops there. The restaurant portal is through a little alleyway under the construction canopy. The Consulate has a bunch of construction going on. It’s right across from it. Not open on Sundays. I’ll try to get the name and post it when I do.
There’s a hole-in-the-wall place across the street from the US Consulate that serves food cooked by ‘Pop’ on one of two burners. ‘Mom’ is the waitress. If you don’t speak Mandarin, then they just serve you what they think you’ll like. Haven’t been wrong yet. Very reasonably priced. No intestinal problems experienced by friends who’ve eaten there for the past 6 months, and they’re pretty much lunch regulars.
We stopped in at the Bookworm Thursday night and were delighted to find a jazz trio show up during our meal. We missed the beginning of the author’s lecture for the evening, but that would’ve been fun to hear, too. The Bookworm has my vote for a very pleasant place to have a casual meal and/or drink. We also happened to sit next to a bookshelf filled with language instruction books, so I scored/checked out a beginning Mandarin book along with the 10% discount on the meal with a ‘membership.’
Really, I can’t say exactly what happened! The two posts were there one time when I looked, and when I went back they were gone. I don’t know how they disappeared or appeared for that matter. There wasn’t any kind of notification, it was just something I realized when I opened the forum post. The brand names were hightlighted and looked like a link imbedded in the post.
It’s an unfortunate fact that many people in the States don’t have a clue about air or water quality in other ‘developing’ parts of the world, and manage to complain bitterly about the perceived insults of attempts at protecting the environment. Of course, air doesn’t stay in one place. Sooner or later Chengdu, Beijing and other cities will share the joy, just as US cities do. Wow, though, the rate of pollution increase is pretty astounding. We were in Beijing in 2003, and it was bad at times, but this seems unreal. Where’s that Ronco Megalopolis Air Purifier when you need one?
