in america
greetings from the apple store at the lenox mall in atlanta, georgia. i’m in the states for a very important wedding (not mine) and will be back in china may 10.
it was wednesday morning and light outside in shanghai when i left. it was wednesday evening and light outside in atlanta when i arrived. and i got to spend 26 hours in taxis, airports, airplanes and rental cars in between.
first stop after i arrived should probably have been a bed, but instead it was a bar: trivia night at the local on ponce de leon. so, in that spirit, i offer a multiple choice question for you:
Q: it took dan less than an hour to realize what he has missed most about america. what was it?
a. diversity
b. old drinking buddies
c. good beer
d. laid back bars
e. barbecue sandwiches
f. breasts
g. all of the above
oh gee, i wonder what the answer is.
i’ll check back soon. picking up mom at the airport in a couple hours. then driving deeper into the southland for the wedding.
bye, y’all.
04.29.2004, 11:29 AM · Georgia 2004 · Comments (5)
what happens in moganshan, stays in moganshan
beer pong.
hiking.
dancing.
football.
flowers.
frogs.
moganshan.
Alex Scales: Standing tall in Shanghai
NBA dreams take former Oregon star around the world — and out of his element
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — Alex Scales was surrounded. Moments after the Shanghai Sharks defeated the Zhejiang Horses, a huge push of people had its favorite foreign player corralled. His head and shoulders poking through the throng, Scales was at the mercy of the masses. If the crowd moved, he moved too — a bust bobbing on a sea of black hair. They wanted autographs and photos. He wanted a way out. It was the only time Scales looked lost on the basketball court that night.
04.19.2004, 6:44 AM · Sports, Stories · Comments (6)
movin’ on up … to moganshan
heading off for a weekend in the mountains with some friends. it’s supposed to rain, so we’ve packed plenty of beer pong supplies. be back on sunday.
moganshan links:
mountain retreat (ctrip.com)
twists and turns on the tourist trail (guardian.co.uk)
castles in the clouds: ghost hunting on moganshan (chinanow.com)
a refreshing blast from the past (thatsmagazines.com)
04.16.2004, 10:44 AM · Moganshan
This just in from Hong Kong …
today i received PDF files of my two most recent stories for the south china morning post (subscription only). to check them out, click the links below:
A traveling man in need of a plan
i’m planning a cross-country trip of china this summer … wanna help out? ok, here’s the plan:
well, that’s the problem. i don’t really have a plan. i know i want to start somewhere in the far northeast, perhaps near the north korean border. i know i want to end in tibet, somewhere pretty damn close to mount everest. and i know i want to write and blog from the road (or trail or rail or river) as much as possible.
04.13.2004, 1:35 AM · The Trip, Travel · Comments (7)
flying high for amoi
check it out here: amoi.mpg (warning: this file is around 15mb in size. it could take a while to load.)
photos of the shoot: click here
another ad i was in: adHIGH.mov (6mb)
04.10.2004, 8:00 PM · Observations, Photos, Video
old building, cold beer
the first batch is of the mei long zhen restaurant on nanjing xi lu, a secluded and spectacular spot in one of the city’s busiest areas. the second batch of photos is of people drinking alcoholic beverages.
so, enjoy. but remember, beware THE CLAW!
04.10.2004, 7:57 PM · Photos
sizing people up
i went bra shopping yesterday.
well, actually i accompanied someone who was going bra shopping. one of the duties of being a boyfriend, i suppose.
usually, it’s the guy who feels uncomfortable in such a situation. not so sure that was the case yesterday.
04.10.2004, 5:15 PM · Observations · Comments (1)
“you wanna try it?” … “it seems a bit big.”
04.10.2004, 4:13 PM · Humor · Comments (2)
take me out to the bangqiu bisai
if you’re a fan of mediocre baseball — yes, i mean you, pittsburgh pirates fans — you’re just going to love the china baseball league. baseball, huge in japan and taiwan, has never really caught on here in china. for evidence of this, just look at the CBL (the only pro league in a country of 1.3 billion), which could only scrounge up four teams.
this is the CBL’s third season, and last friday i was there for opening day: shanghai eagles vs. beijing tigers. shanghai’s congbei stadium in pudong is not conveniently located — the nearest subway stop is a 22 kuai cab ride away — but that didn’t stop shanghai’s baseball fans from coming out in droves.
04.08.2004, 3:06 PM · Observations, Sports · Comments (4)
stripped: beijing youth whips out story about nude men
this cartoon recently appeared in the beijing youth daily (beijing qingnian bao) newspaper, which claims to have a paid daily circulation of 600,000. the cartoon accompanied english and chinese versions of one of my recent posts. it had to do with nudity in locker rooms.
04.08.2004, 1:24 AM · Observations, Politics · Comments (6)