My, My, Victoria, How You've Changed
In a repeat of a journey I first took 25 years ago, I have arrived in Victoria, Texas from Denver, Colorado. I was only 8 years old in 1984 when my parents informed my brother, sister and I that we ...

What Do I Miss?
Since I will be traveling all next week and will be too busy to write, I thought I would share an old post I wrote back in 2007 on my main blog. Originally posted on On the Fringe I’m thinking ...

The Dog Ate My Blog
Well, well, well, don't I feel a little sheepish having neglected this blog for so many months? I left you all hanging there in the air and I do apologize, but will make no excuses. No, the dog didn't really ...

Stay Healthy
You have all probably heard of (or perhaps experienced) that most dreaded of holiday souvenirs - Montezuma's Revenge. We have our own variation here in China, which I have variously named Mao's Revenge, China Rot Gut and the Middle Gurgle ...

A Little Rioting to Bring Me Back
Hello Vicad Readers, I must apologize, again, for leaving this blog space empty, again. Over the last few months my growing frustration over increased Internet censorship has caused me to visit fewer and fewer websites, culminating in a near abandonment ...

The Day That Nothing Happened
Tiananmen Square Looking Towards The Forbidden City Tiananmen Square Looking Towards Mao's Tomb Tiananmen Square Guard The Chairman Sees All, at the Entrance to the Forbidden City Well, here it is June 4th and as expected, it's just like any ...

Traveling in China
How many of you have read "The Good Earth?" To be completely honest, I don't remember too much of the Pearl S. Buck classic. I've been thinking about rereading the book for three years now, but I've been unable to ...

No More Twitter Fun
I am back from my travels and back on the grid, as much as the Great Firewall of China will allow me to be. Today and tomorrow are very important dates in the history of China. It has been 20 ...

Public Vs. Private
Have I mentioned that there are two types of behaviors in China? Well, there are. There is public behavior and then there is private behavior. I think this is a cultural thing dating back to our old friend Confucius' time. ...

To Mask or Not To Mask
The sister-in-law has successfully been retrieved from the airport and is now sleeping off some of her jet lag. I'm taking the opportunity to connect to the electronic world, because I am one of those people who find it difficult ...