L-O-N-G W-E-E-K

Wow, I didn't realize Monday was the last day I posted. I am tired! It was a long week and fortunately a very slow one at work. My new partner, Kara, is doing very well and I think the 2 weeks she was forced to fly solo actually were good for her.

...I think I may actually have incentive to clean my computer/study room. I was sitting here and I saw something unusual...it looks like a dried out contact lens. I don't recall losing one, but that's a rather gross find in a room that is no where near the bathroom.

Anyway, back on subject. Besides work I really haven't done much. I did go to the library on Tuesday after work because in the event of a relapse, I did not want to be caught without a good read, or a good picture book. I had to stare at my ugly yard for the two weeks I was sick and every day it made me sadder and sadder. It is truly ugly. Sooo, I picked up four books on gardening. I have wanted an Asian themed garden for many years, and with the money from my tax return (that's another thing I did this week!) I'm going to invest in my yard a bit. I really doubt I have the $$ or skill to devote to do doing it up right, but I do want some privacy from the neighbors behind my house and I want someplace to sit outside that is relaxing.

I picked up two other books, also devoted to Asia and China more specifically. The first is The Attic: Memoirs of the Chinese Landlord's Son by Guanlong Cao. I started it last night and finished it before dinner today. Although it does not talk directly about the political or cultural issues in China, it does paint a picture of what life was like for those that had their land possessed, distributed by the state, and the outcast life that they lived. Who would have thought that 3 acres was all they needed to label you as an evil landlord? Even in death, his father was not allowed normal funeral rites. The second book, Will the Boat Sink the Water? The Life of China's Peasants was written by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao. It was published in China in 2004 and within 2 months pulled off the shelves by the government. Much of what I have read about the reasons for child abandonment in China have to do with the rural areas and the fact that the people are so poor. Before MayLing arrives, I hope to read a lot more books about life in China now, the culture and the history. It may not be a benefit to her, but I want to know. In many of the China adoption Yahoo groups, I read emails from women that feel bitterness towards the woman that left them their child. I don't feel bitterness now and I really doubt I ever will. This woman gave my child life and new life has been breathed back into my life---how can I possibly be bitter about that?