Still have not felt motivated to see or do very much. It’s too bad because we’ve just finished a bonus “Golden Week” with the APEC Summit in town. It’s back to work on Thursday. Some people took advantage of the time off and got out of Beijing. I stayed because I got sick.
Finally found a gym so now I can begin working out again. It’s tough sometimes to keep in shape or keep any sort of regimen while on the road. It’s not that it’s overly tough to find a place to work out (you can work out almost anywhere) but it’s finding the time, the mindset and the will to do laundry after that often stops me from simply working out wherever and whenever.
Reading Angelina Jolie’s Notes from My Travels which recounts her time as an ambassador for the UNCHR. It’s a different take on a travelogue than what I’m used to reading. You might wonder why I’d reach such a book. One woman I met already questioned my judgment and asked what I expect it to be. It was hard to explain to her that first, it’s interesting to read other accounts of places I’ve been, second, it’s a much different style than what I’m used to in regard to travelogues. So, in that case, it’s a bit of research, if you will.
Also reading The Lord of the Rings. Just bought the first book. It’s alright. A little different from how I remember the movies, though I saw the movies such a long time ago that I can’t even remember what they’re like. And that’s probably a good thing. It’s a contrast to what I normally read, which is non-fiction, so it took me a few pages to get into Mr. Tolkien’s manner of writing. I was also wondering if The Hobbit was published before LOTR or after, only because now I feel as if I have to read the whole series.
And I finally transferred my site to a new server so hopefully I won’t have many interruptions with the site being up. I have a few posts about Canada that I have yet to publish, including a few reviews of movies I saw while in Montreal and Toronto for their respective film festivals.
Feeling the effects of the midterms, which is to say, wow, we’re only half way through this term. Another 8 weeks to go.