I think that I may well be. Despite having a very fast and only sometimes blocked connection to the Internet, I’ve not been using my computer much lately. In fact, except for playing LORD on The Spacing Guild’s BBS, I’ve not done much of anything on the computer lately. This is, I think, is a good thing.

I’ve been studying Chinese and it’s starting to show results. Words are beginning to stick, and best of all my tones are approaching some semblence of correctness. Doing more than two tones in a row correctly (and even doing some of the doubles by themselves) is still a tremendous challenge, but it feels like it’s getting closer and that the time and money I’m investing in learning this silly language is paying off.

I bought an MP3 player today. I thought about just saving my money and getting an iPod, but I decided that I really didn’t want to shell out 2500 RMB (they’re more expensive here) for a 10GB model. Instead a bought this sexy little guy for 640 RMB. It’s basically a memory stick with a headphone jack and some external controls. The sound is excellent, and it gets 8-12 hours of play on a single AAA battery (though I’m expecting 5-6 given the quality of low-end Chinese batteries). It’s also about six ounces with the battery, which kicks much ass.

This weekend I’m going to Shanghai. John has a job interview in the city and I’m going to tag along (to Shanghai, not the interview) and enjoy the good life for a couple of days. Should be a fun time.

Posted by John on Friday, November 21st, 2003 at 7:16 am.