Uneventful Evenings

Not much:
For the last week we haven't done much movement other than the typical day to day hum-drum. There have been a few really beautiful days. I was feeling pretty cooped up one of these lovely blue-sky days, and decided to try some shopping. I was pretty unsuccessful. I got out there and realized what time it was so pretty much headed back...

I got my nails removed. I have been pretty unsuccessful at finding someone who will do a decent job filling them, so I decided that I would get them taken off. It was a long ordeal, about 2 hours of filing, then a nice manicure and reshaping afterwards. This included cutting my nails so short that I really can't use them for anything anymore. They were really thin and flimsy after the nails were removed, so it was a really smart thing for her to cut them down... just a little saddening. I am used to having nails to open soda cans, pick stickers off new purchases, scratch itches....

We had dinner at Fan's Sunday night. She made a traditional Chinese meal for 5. The food was amazing and she was a very attentive and gracious host. We each tried a small taste of Mongolian wine (very very strong alcohol flavor). She made an amazing Duck cooked in a beer base. There was some pumpkin, a pork dish, and a beef dish, not to mention some rice to go with it all. The food was wonderful. It was the best Chinese food I have had yet.

She also showed me her wedding albums. It is Chinese tradition to take the photos in a studio, not at the actual wedding. I also read that it is quite a lot of money for their weddings. The ceremony can cost many times what a Chinese man will make in a year. I am not sure what the normal tradition for payment of the whole ceremony is, but it appears it may be a burden on the male and/or his family to bear the brunt of the costs. The legal ages for marriage are 20 for women and 22 for men. Cullen has his own view on this, but I think it is a good idea.

I did some searching and found that for 7 hours of photography at a wedding in Houston, it's at least 2000USD. I really hadn't looked into this ever. The price of one of the really good photographers here in Beijing runs 2000USD for a 2 day shoot at the beach. The trip is included. What also amazes me is that they include wardrobe changes, make-up and hair all with the package price. It's a real photo shoot, not just to capture the moment, but to create a moment for you. The photo shoot includes the prices for the books, mounted prints, and a disk of all the photos. Unbelievable. And the $2000 price mark is after the prices have gone up since June...

So some Chicken noodle soup, Chicken Fried Steaks, and Chicken and rice later, we are here.. at today. Where not much is going on. This weekend we will try some post office madness. I promise there will be a story to tell after that. :D