Knee-How -or- Why I Haven't Been Updating My Blog

New Town Guangzhou: skyscrapers, parks
& stadiums. Everything is covered in colored
lights and moving LEDs--even the trees.

I just got back from a last minute trip to China--actually, I got back last night; I just woke up after sleeping for 18 hours. And yes, I realize that's not how you spell, hello in Mandarin, but the only way I can pronounce Mandarin is to find English words with similar sounds.

I know what you are thinking, oh, China sounds fun. Okay, maybe the first time, but I've been to Guangzhou eight or nine times now and frankly, I dread going back. It's not just that there's nothing to do their except visit factories. Ask any local and they'll tell you (once you get acquainted) how the government has torn down almost every historic site to build impressive, but slightly tacky, LED clad skyscrapers.

After so many trips, it's more about praying I don't catch something. Last trip, I ended up in the ER with a case of overly zealous E. Coli. Just 48 more healthy hours to go and I'll be batting .500 (for you who don't keep up with baseball, that means if I don't get sick, it'll put me at 50%).
Don't get me wrong, I love the Chinese people and have made some good friends (perhaps due to the government, the Chinese people that I've met tend to be very guarded until you build a friendship). It's just when the only thing to do is visit the City Zoo, The Temple of The Six Banyan Trees (which really is a must see), or sit at a conference table across from a team of skilled negotiators while drinking tea made from non-potable water (you just pretend to sip it), you end up spending a lot of time doing the later.

Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.
Bring lots of water and good shoes.

So, the real reason for this post is to apologize and explain my absence from the blog. I had enough time to schedule my blogfest post (it looks like the whole blogfest was a great success), but even if I had the time to write an OOO (Out Of Office) blog post, I don't like announcing that my wife and kids will be home alone for the whole week. I'd rather apologize after the fact for not replying to any comments, keeping up with others blogs, or making any posts.

Of course, viewing or posting on Blogger from China is not possible due to the Great Wall--not the historic Great Wall--I'm referring to the one China isn't quite as proud of: The Great Firewall of China.

Now, that I'm back, I'll belatedly check out all the, "What's Your Process" comments as well as other blog participants posts, and just generally catch back up with everyone.