China: Chilling In Full Effect

For the past couple of days, we've been chilling around Hongqiao, the expat section of Shanghai, and we might as well be back on Larchmont. We're running into American high school kids everywhere, eating in yuppie Thai places, and catching up on Entourage by means of completely legitimate DVDs we purchased at full price from the local video store. Yesterday, we hit the local Japanese gaming lounge and rented an hour in a room with leather-cushioned walls, enjoying some four-player Wii.

The era of daily posts has come to an end, as the moving around and doing exciting stuff all the time portion of this trip has clearly concluded. That being said, I'm still in China for about two more weeks. Here's what to expect:

1) A thoughtful post or two about any semblance of meaning I've gleaned from this trip. Also some nice photos I missed the first time around.

2) My family members and friends depart in a few days. Wallace and Brian are currently visiting West Lake / Hangzhou, so we'll see what they have to report when they return to Shanghai.

3) Then a brief visit from a Very Special Guest Star (who was way down on my list of people most likely to come to Shanghai, and yet here she is). I don't know how much time I will actually spend with her, given her, uh, ambitious expectations regarding how many things and people she can see in four days, but we'll see. We may both have our hair did simultaneously at the same salon, so stay tuned.

4) Work resumes on Lobsters vs. Butterflies. I have my laptop, I have my notes. I'd better have at least two action sequences blocked out by the time I go home to LA. And then I finish this thing by the time I run out of money.

5) Hardcore cocooning: Heroes season 1, a season or two of Naruto, and six books: Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami, The Half-Mammals of Dixie by George Singleton, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, North by Frederick Busch, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios by Yann Martel, and Out of Sheer Rage by Geoff Dyer.

6) Lots of meditation and contemplation regarding various aspects of my existence. Some of the things Judy said a month ago to me weigh heavily on my mind, and let me tell you, I am going to be watching the next six months of my life with great interest.