my nerves!!!!!

I cant take it...cant wait for tomorrow to be over!!!

Final words on China

I've been avoiding writing these final words because I think I didn't want to end
thinking about the trip!
I've been recouping from some sort of stomach thing which seems to have
come from China and all I'm doing is sleeping and losing weight...to put it
euphemistically.
But the final leg of the trip was the best...Shanghai! Spectacular! Very
much like NY or Chicago with skylines that are magnificient. Very
sopisticated.
I took off a day from the group as they were going to a silk factory and
I didnt want to buy silk.
I did however go to the street of lots of shopping boutiques and I was
pickpocketed!
We had been warned to be careful carrying money or passports and
I didn't have too much...just a credit card and some small Chinese bills.
I heard a yell..and looked around to see what had happened...when a
police van pulled up and surrounded me.
I turned to see a little girl or short woman running away. I didn't realize
anything had happened to me so was going on my way when a woman
on a bike came up. She had seen the pickpocket hit me and screamed and
frightened her into running away...and dropping my wallet!
I saw it lying about ten feet away and hadn't even felt it leaving my purse.
The cops wanted to make sure I was ok, but didn't chase the perp.
I was really shaken...not enough to stop shopping but since all's well
that ended well..it was a good story to tell the group.
We went to see the Chinese Acrobats in the most astounding show.
One of my friends here told me it was corny but I am so glad I went.
It was thrilling! These performers did things that seemed impossible
with their flexible bodies and the whole time the audience was screaming
in delight.
Another great hotel...a Hilton, great massages...I got the hot rock which
I love and we drove around seeing the city which I adored.
The Bund is the walkway along the water and filled with tourists.
The resteraunts were great and the two couples I bonded with and I
went out for a last night dinner. There was a very hip club on another
floor and I just peeked in.
Shanghai is a place I could have stayed a week. But alas..the trip
was over and as I usually do, I wrote a poem about everyone on the
tour and read it on our last bus ride.
And they all gave me the most adorable little figure of a child bending
over and revealing his tush. (The habit of the kids there is not to have
diapers but little pants with slits from front to back and I and a few
others on the trip were determined to catch a tushie shot...which we
did on the last day. The mothers all kept turning the kids towards the camera,
not realizing we wanted the rear view! So glad I wasn't arrested.)
All in all it was a fabulous trip. They are an incredibly smart and
hard working people who have accomplished miracles in a few short
decades.
Everyone who has ever gone there raves about it and I recommend
it to everyone reading this. If you have the chance...go!

continuing china...

Today one of my friends actually looked at the photos I'd taken of China still in my
camera! Now that's a friend! Actually she found it interesting and as I went over the
trip again, I realized how great it really was.
so...on to Xi'an. That is where the Terra Cotta soldiers are. A huge find of
soldiers made up to guard the tomb of the Emperor. With lifesize horses
and intended to scare away any enemies in death.
They were discovered by a farmer years ago...and they pull out some old
guy who they SAY is the farmer and he signs books at the museum. I want
to believe it was the real guy!
The terra cotta fades within hours of being exposed to light and air, so vast
fields of them are still uncovered until they can figure a way to stop the
process of fading.
Very interesting...in size, scope and piece of history.
Then we went to the Jade factory and saw beautiful pieces. Of course
anything I liked was over $10,000 and so needless to say, I didn't buy
anything. If it can't be something fab...I don't want it!
Hmm...maybe that's why I'm still looking for Mr. Adequate..or,more than.
We then went on a three day cruise down the Yangtze.
Really nice. The boat was comfortable if not opulent. The food, as usual
amazing in size and scope of the buffets.
The crew put on little shows at night and they were really sweet people.
My cabin porter was Andy and the maid, Susan. They all take American names.
The group I was with did little excursions but I didn't go...afraid of small boats
as I don't swim and unable to climb stairs without railings or go in lifts high up
the mountains, I stayed and got sun, which I always crave and a manicure...
flowers with little "jewels"..which I'd never wear in NY but qualifies me to work
in any post office!
We went through five incredible Gorges with great scenery and finally
through the locks...similar to the Panama Canal...next largest I think.
Fascinating.
We went to see Pandas and to a spot high above the locks which gave
an incredible panoramic view.
The millions of people who are being moved as the water will rise and
flood them all, is an amazing project.
Next Shanghai...

Should have stayed in China!

Well, the world seems to be imploding whether it's our bank accounts or our
politics.
I should have stayed in China. The hard thing is that a trip like this is so
spectacular and then it's just a memory.
I went through all of my photos and put them into the computer but can't
figure how to get them out...to print and to share!
But a few more thoughts about my trip...it's so nice to have Dear Readers
who are interested!
Beijing was very cool. The first day I was there was before my tour so I
had some ideas from a friend back in the States.
She gave me a name of a reliable driver and we went to the art area...
old factories that have been turned into spectacular art galleries and
some avant garde designers.
I got a very neat grey velour T Shirt with a red stencil of Mao.
Just have to figure out where to wear it. I guess a Sarah Palin speech
won't be the place! ( Mean little thing, isn't she!)
The art in China is very hot now selling for huge figures. Much of it
was very interesting.
Then, being a fan of miniatures, I wento the Beijing Planning Museum
where they have a huge miniature (contradiction I know) of the entire
city.
It was fascinating. And some of the workers were fixing the tiny
buildings and adding new ones...as there is constant building.
Then the group arrived and we had an introductory cocktail party.
Many of the people seemed older than I had expected but I always
find some that I can bond with and there were quite a few.
Then the trip began with Tiannamen Square which is really hard
to grasp until you see it in person. Huge obviously...and very
filled with people. Lots of tourists but mostly Chinese who are visiting
as well.
The Forbidden City is gigantic...amazing. And very lovely.
The Summer Palace is beautiful. Everything has history and
so much importance to the culture.
The places were crowded but not unbareably so.
The Great Wall! wow...I took the "easier" route which was about a
forty minute climb with rest blocks...and lots of pushing people.
They are not into waiting patiently.
The folks that took the harder climb said it was tiring but worth it.
I skipped the Opera as I don't like Opera here and there it was
kind of screamy...from all reports.
The Hilton Hotel was lovely and I had a really good massage in the
room the first night. Excellent idea!
Since the Olympics, many signs were in English too so you could
sort of find your way around, though I didn't stray too far away on
my own.
Next report...Xian...to see the Terra Cota Warriors.

china chatter

Well, just got back from great great trip! It so exceeded my expectations!
The people are so sweet and eager to give good service. the country is magnificent
both in history and progress.
In a mere 17 years they have built so many sky scrapers the national bird is
said to be "the crane."..the building kind.
The scope of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and everything is so
vast it takes your breath away.
The example of the Olympics shows that they are the unstoppable. amazing to hear
about their lives from the Guides and how in a mere 38 years they have
entered the present and really are the future.
Will try and get some photos up when i can figure out how to do it!!

I"m baaaaaccckkkk

Back from glorious trip to China. will tell all when i next wake up...

I'm off...

Hey kids...am off to China! Not sure why but it seemed like a good idea.
Am traveling with my Northwestern Alumni Assoc. though I don't know
anyone.
Back in Oct. I hope!!

back to fair and unbalanced!

Now that I gave Sarah Palin her due...see other columns...I have to say that
I find it outrageous that they are not letting her do any of the press interviews
that other candidates have to do. What are they afraid of? They owe it to
the American voter to be able to have the info to vet her ourselves.

told u so!

See, Sarah was amazing. Told you. the greatest praise I can give is I wish she were
a Democrat because she is a reallly good communicator.
BUT..and here's one of many buts...I dont understand why we want someone
in the two highest offices to be 'JUST LIKE US."
I want someone MUCH MUCH MORE THAN I AM. More accomplished,
more knowledgable, a real intellect and superior to me...in every way because
the decisions they will be making are many times more complex than any
I've made in my own life.
So...yes she made a great first impression and a speech. Now let's see
what she knows about the world and if she can extrapolate from her narrow
world experiences and politically rigid viewpoint.

i prophesie...is that a word?

For all those pundits who are bloviating about how important Sarah Palin's
speech is tonight and creating drama...the woman was a TV sports anchor!
She knows how to be on TV. They know how to write a speech. Of course
she will nail it/hit it out of the park and all other cliches.

It's what happens afterwards...on the road, in the debate she might even
do well as Biden's hands will be tied re sexism.
It's now up to the Press to ask her tough questions and see what she
knows and doesn't know.

Fair and Balanced...me!

As Dear Readers know, I was extremely upset about the Sara Palin pick. One can
respond snarkily, mocking the hair and the hunting habits,(as one did) or say it's
got to be a Tina Fey movie called "Moosestew Machinations" but then what?

This is a serious thing. Perhaps the most serious in our lifetime. So, I decided
to try and understand it from the other perspective, that of my Republican
Friends. Yes, I have them! Quite a few, thank you!
And I'd had fights with some of them re my great support for Obama. Not on
an ideological basis...there's no point in fighting about that...we believe
what we believe and we rarely change that. But on an EXPERIENCE arguement...they
had their points. And I had my answers to them. I then decided as the old maxim..better not to discuss politics or religion.

Now, turnabout was fair play. Experience question? 19 months as a Governor?
I'm sorry, PTA does not count! It doesnt. Not on the world stage. Surely they
will acknowledge that at least.

My friends are very smart...well most of them. I needed to have this VP thing explained
in a way that would frankly, keep me from being scared to death!

And so I asked them to give me their answers on these questions:
1.Is Sara Palin, in your honest view, ready to be Leader of the Free World?
2. Are you still voting McCain?
3. Who was your first VP pick?

And finally...anything else you want to add re picking a woman being important.

I got detailed interesting answers from the men explaining their views.
The women said pointedly just "I'm for her!"

First off, they are not scared that she is too inexperienced, or has a narrow
background. They pointed to prior Presidents and world leaders who
grew into the job. ( I still don't want that...again!)

They pointed out that most Governors do not have a lot of international
experience. (But some of them have and Alaska is such that
I think she is operating a budget on a small town size stage.)

They equated the "Obama had no experience" argument again . ( But now I counter
that he has been voted on by 18 million people and vetted over 18 months. Sara won
by 6oo plus votes and we have less than 3 months to know her and everything about her!)

Second, most of them would have chosen Mitt Romney, who I would have
been happy with...though I remain a dedicated Dem. ( I am not totally
partisan!) So I don't understand why they are not deeply disappointed. Or are
they just not saying. If Obama had picked a total unknown, I'd be pissed.

In other words...they all, except one person, did NOT find this choice scary or bizarre
or crazy. (Conclusion: I cannot discuss this with my friends anymore...she said
jokingly serious.) It is clear that people have VERY DIFFERENT opinions and
that I guess is why we have a country torn in half.

As to the issue of a woman...there were, in my view, other women who had
more experience like Kay Bailey Hutchinson, with whom I may not agree, but
I certainly find credible and experienced. But I would have not thought that a
business person like a Meg Whitman had the scope of knowledge either!

John McCain is 72. One third of American VP's have becoming Presidents
by virtue of death or other removals...impeachment. THINK ABOUT IT!
She has a 33% chance to become the President of the United States.

Finally, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT GENDER IN POLITICS MATTERS. Sorry, feminists.
I just want the best person and when it was Margaret Thatcher, or Golda Meir,
cool. Sara is neither. I just saw the Republican Gov. of Hawaii on TV. Seemed
like a nice lady.What was wrong with her? Whoops...I said I'd put a hold on snarky.

Now, yesterday I saw the interview Gov. Palin did with Maria Bartiromo on the money channel.
She is smart, articulate in a very direct Francis McDormand, Fargo, kind of dialect and she
rapidly gives a good arguement about energy vis a vis drilling and swears she is also
very into protecting the environment. I have read both support and criticism of her
on this and don't know the truth. But I liked her! I think she would have made a
really good Secretary of Energy,gotten some time in the big time and thensomeday could have run for President.

To sum up:

1. This was not a crazy choice...it was a very smart, totally Machiavellian one.
McCain wants to win. He has been saying he chooses "county over politics." Not on this one.
John McCain realized that the experience issue was not working and that
"Change" was the word. 80% of Americans want that.So this reinforced that.
And he got rid of Bush/Cheney in one fell swoop. He threw the baby (convention) out
with the water ( Gustav.) The Maverick is back....for better or worse.

2. It remains scary because he did it so quickly, having met her ONCE. He said
he likes "to act faster than anyone else and will live with the consequences."
I don't feel good about living with them. What other quick shoot from the hip
choices will be made.

3. While I try and judge things objectively, my values and positions on choice,
guns, and other issues do get in the way and she represents the opposite of
everything I believe in. And it's been reported that she was not McCain's first choice
either!This makes me feel that the extreme right right on the Rep. side
is controlling the party. I don't want the extreme left left side of the Dems doing
that either.

I WANT THE CENTER. I think America wants the Center. I hope it does.

4.The fact that she is a woman cuts both ways...both bad for Dems. This will make it a
lot harder for Biden to debate her because the sexist attacks will be used against
any thing he does...if he's too soft, he's patronizing,if he's too tough, he's beating up on her.
So they successfully used the feminist inroads Hillary paved to their advantage,
to get her voters. I hope she comes out to debunk that and fast!

One of my smart Democrat friends reassured my panic by saying that so far Obama
has been thoughtful, careful, successful in every step of the campaign and we
should give him credit that he will find the right way to deal with this. That
makes me feel a little better. Only a little.

What I still don't really understand is how people can look at something and see

it so differently!? But the good news is that we can still be friends.

I hope!! But just in case, NO MORE POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS!

furthermore

some of my emailers were upset with me re my remark aboutSara's Hair and eskimos...a little
left over from my cant help it i'm a comedy writer bg...but in all seriousness I am
more upset about the lack of experience on a national stage and not having been tested as
Barack has been through the primary...for those who decried lack of experience on his
part...which just does not hold now, does it!
I find it very very cynical and insulting that McCain, whom I admired and was indeed
someone who sometimes reached across party lines would do this to the nation!
come on kids..
get serious. Poor Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a qualified woman, was at a loss for words
to defend it.
I realize politics can be a touchy subject and I've had some strong reactions from
my Rep. friends about Obama...but this choice was too scary for me to keep silent.

But seriously folks

Any respect I had for McCain is now gone! Does he really think that women are going
to vote for ANY woman, just to vote for a woman?Come on! And the comedy writer
in me wants to know...What's with the hair? She'll have to go to Shear Genius and get
a cut that brings her into the 21rst Century before the Convention. Geesh!But hey,she
WAS mayor of 8,000 eskimos..not that there's anything wrong with eskimos!

to all my republican friends...

McCain has chosen his VP. And I say..."huh?"

med report

Hey...cant type too much..hand still in temp cast. operation pain in the u know what!
and the wrist.
thank god for the olympics...yay! and what a stunning opening ceremony!
Now watching the Dems as there's not much else I can do..like putting on my bra!
thanks for all the good wishes...you are great,my readers!!!!

ouch!

About to have an operation on my wrist...some wierd degenerative tendon thing...anyway
thank god for the olympics...will have something to do while recuping. no typing for
a while! bye for now.

one last adventure in Aspen

SS does not stand for Secret Service.. not while I'm around!
This could maybe get me arrested, but what the heck!
The King of Jordan and his gorgeous wife were at the Aspen Institute and after the speech
they went back to the hotel which is across from where I stay.
How did I know this? Because forty million guards and cars were lined up outside.
So, since I had not gotten to ask him the question I wanted to at the speech, I
thought I'd go into the Hotel and ask him there. Well, you know I am rather
adventurous..ok ok pushy.
I go into the Lobby and see about 10 guards standing around so I know that he
must be in the Lobby...right? And sure enough there he was, a short King, but
still a King, sitting on the terrace talking to some people.
The guards were a mix of Jordanian and American Secret Service...I know these
things.
About two or three other people were watching the King and the guards just
looked at us once, and then didn't bother us again.
I waited a while and finally the guards started forming a line so I knew he
was coming out.
I stood there at the door of the lobby and he and the family walked by and
the Queen smiled at me and said "hi" and I said "hi." And the King walked by
and sort of smiled...and I decided not to ask him my question...but he was only
two feet at most from me! And, if I were some kind of terrorist or nut job..well..
let's just say he's lucky I'm not and I wasn't!
So I guess tall blonde's are not on anyone's profiling list. That seems rather
dangerous to me! But let's not tell anyone as I don't want them tracking me down.

me on a segway...maybe

hi from aspen

Gee guys...you are persistent! but i love the interest! No no no..the guy I'm going to be fixed up with is in NY...so it'll happen...i hope...when i go back.
Other news...injured my wrist and have a photo of me in a temp cast...if i can figure out how to print it in here i will...have to maybe have an operation as it's an old injury...reinjured.

Went the the gym to see the very cute guy i had the crush on last year...not so cute this year..thank god!

still loving it here...wish i could stay longer...have to figure out a job or something...money being what it takes!

ok, things are picking up

went to a fab dinner party the other night. great , interesting people and terrific conversation which i love! plus one couple has a guy to fix me up with! let's keep our fingers crossed.
And, that final at Wimbelton was amazing!!!