~This is an “I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written” note. . .

But check this out~

Between one trip to Beijing, three trips to Shanghai, the festival in the mountains at which I was a guest of honor on a yellow tea mountain, and planning for this year’s Dragon Burn, at which I’ll be a newcomer and excited as a bun in an oven to be there, I’ve had less free-time than normal since I got back from the US about a month and a half ago to do things like write and edit photos.

I’m still working full-time at the international school, which is no slouch of a space. And I’m doing my best to stay healthy, both through regular exercise that is a pairing of weights and flow-dance arts using the new tools that have been in my hands for this same short duration.

I’m pretty excited about the Dragon Burn coming up. The organizers clearly know what they’re doing and I’m able to enjoy being a useful bug of noise without being too overbearing, for the volume of veterans that are here already, and can still be helpful, because damnit, I’m helpful. \:’D

I’m in Shanghai again tonight to meet up with a team that is making a shower camp that will have a central sculpture using a piece of soap that is intentionally gigantic. I look forward to seeing what they’re up to. Otherwise, I’m making a big sign that will have the ten principles in both English and Chinese in Illustrator so that people in Center Camp can have a big fat reference point for them. As well, I’m putting together a camp with some folks that are coming from the same area as me. We are pretty self contained and interested in doing thing light energy, so we don’t have any particular frontage, but it’s nice to have a team to center with. As well, I’m organizing a training session based on poi. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I never got famous for playing, and mine isn’t the most elaborate style, but after over fifteen years of just sort of toying around, I’m better than some folks, so I can share fairly. There’s also another guy joining me for the sake of teaching, and I’m bringing a stash of extra LED poi that we will give away to the people who come to learn to play, so it should be fun. And that’s what it’s all about~ So, so be it. But yea, full set.

I’m floating off of one of China’s great games of roulette. You’ve likely heard about how smooth the high-speed trains are here, well, I just got off of one that was a four hour trip, and didn’t have a seat assignment~ So, as is the way, I picked a seat and hoped for the best… While everyone else who was doing the same as me was at one point or another bounced to another seat… I was able to sit in my seat without someone taking it the whole trip! All I can imagine is that someone either: A. bought a ticket and didn’t make the train, or B. someone didn’t want to tell the foreigner that he was sitting in the wrong seat. I did make an effort to be ready to move, it wasn’t that I avoided it, but there it was, four hours with a first-class seat on the way here~ pretty sweet. `

Found a brewery, not that I feel like a beer, but in China (where there can be a void of restaurants with comfort-food), I can always count on breweries to be holding on to a reasonable menu, and I was hungry! Jambalaya and a black tea will do the trick for me today. Good bite at that!