MONDAY, 11/25/13

We’re beginning to settle into a routine of sorts.  Monday thru Wednesday, Judy is teaching and planning.  I’m class planning, grocery shopping, and lately, I’ve been exploring Beijing markets.  Judy wants to do a little shopping on the weekends.  We’ve visited several different market areas, but it’s easy to be overwhelmed when there is so much to see.  We’ve been running out of energy before we could get to the end of the shops.  I’m looking for places for Judy to shop where we can be productive with our time.

That was my duty for the day.  I went out to a market we hadn’t visited before.  It was next door to a really upscale mall area (Apple Store, Cartier, etc.)  It had several different buildings and was full of vendors selling the same stuff, row after row.  Had a really cheap noodle lunch in the food court, and did some more looking.  On my way home, I stopped at the National Center for the Performing Arts.  The design is supposed to be “state of the art”, and architecturally unique.  It’s closed on Mondays so I got back on the train and headed home.

TUESDAY, 11/26/13

Judy gets up late.  She just kept pushing the snooze, so it was a frantic departure.  At 6:55 every morning there is a line of taxis waiting on customers.  By 7:00, the taxis are gone, and there is a line of people waiting for one.  She walked out at 7:05, and paid the price with a long wait for a taxi.

I spent the day working on class plans, and looking ahead to our upcoming trips to Sanya, China, the US, and Phuket, Thailand.  I’m just making sure I haven’t forgotten something (visa issues, etc.)  Everything seems to be in place.  I’m also looking for ideas for our April holiday.  We have 5 days we can travel.  Kyoto, Japan, and Hong Kong are at the top of our consideration list.

WEDNESDAY, 11/27/13

Today is a smooth day at BISS, with nothing out of the ordinary.  Since the “Clue” game is completed, everyone is working toward the upcoming holiday.  Judy has a choir rehearsal today, preparing for their concert next week at a hotel tree-lighting ceremony.

The weather is really cold today.  It was 25 degrees when Judy left this morning.  The wind is blowing 20 to 25 mph, so the chill factor is pretty low.  I go out this afternoon looking for a few groceries.  I walked to Carrefour, down the street.  I hadn’t been there in over a month.  I’m looking for “Honey Bunches of Oats” cereal.  It was available at both of our regular grocery markets until the last two weeks, and then it disappeared.  I found it.  Guess I’m going to have to add Carrefour back into my grocery store rotation.