Taxi Drivers

It must be great to be a taxi driver in Dalian; they have the freedom to come up with creative driving solutions to problems like traffic, pedestrians, bikers and those pesky red lights.

I believe one can summarize their philosophy in three words, "Outta My Way."

One of my favorite taxi stories thus far: A friend was in a taxi on the highway. The taxi driver's phone rang. The driver came to a complete stop - ON THE HIGHWAY - to take the call. The driver did not even pull onto the shoulder. He stopped in his lane and did not hit his hazzard lights.

Now if only they had those bumper car bumpers on the car - then we'd be in for some real fun.

The Dalian Expat Community

I have met several expats at this point; they all seem to know each other. I knew this expat community would be small, but I didn't realize it was "that" small.

At this point, I have lucked into a good group of German ladies. One has the little boy who is 14 months - Nicholas - who is super cute and will make a good playmate for Chase in the coming months. I really like Nicholas' mother as well.

I've decided that meeting new mums (and potential friends) is like dating. It's like you try to figure each other out as quickly as possible. Because what is the point of wasting time if it just isn't going to work. (It's not you it's me) It is all about the fit. Not only on a friend level, but there needs to be a good fit in parenting style.

I'm not sure what any of these ladies did before they had children. I'm not sure what they do during the day. All I know is that they are also trying to make sense of their lives here, which I find extremely reassuring.

As Martha once said, "it's a good thing."

El Canal Del Rooto

Scheduled for Tuesday. Just thinking about it makes my tooth hurt. Of course it didn't hurt all day. And now it hurts. Time to stop thinking about it. The only way out is through.