Packing Peanuts Go Crazy

Man, I've been listening to A LOT of music lately.. all (ok, mostly) in the name of finishing a mix CD inspired by the Fred Falke remix of Golden Cage; I've said as much before. And, it's finally done! Well, I've got a bit of work to do with respect to the actual, um, CD production (i.e. burning, drawing out the CD art and tracklists, some minor packaging), but the search for songs and work of organizing them is over. Whew!

Most of the links in the tracklist below are to blog posts where you can download the song (and read a little about how hype they are - haha); but if I could find them, I linked to its music video instead (but given the fact that most of the tracks are hot off the digital presses, I couldn't find too many videos). Check it:

"Packing Peanuts Go Crazy"

01. Fool for Love (SebastiAn Remix) - Das Pop (blog)
02. Our Time - Ocelot (blog)
03. 5 Feet of Snow (Miami Horror Remix) - The Dirty Secrets (blog)
04. Ask the DJ (Ocelot Express 4 Hour Remix) - Mr. Hudson (blog)
05. Bizarre Love Triangle - Computer Club (blog)
06. Bonafied Lovin' - Chromeo (video)
07. Pogo - Digitalism (video)
08. Out There on the Ice - Cut Copy (blog)
09. I Can Cook (Miami Horror Remix) - Grafton Primary (blog)
10. Lights and Music (Moulinex Remix) - Cut Copy (blog)
11. I Want Your Soul - Armand Van Helden (video)
12. Det Snurrar I Min Skalle - Familijen (video)
13. Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix) - The Whitest Boy Alive (blog)
14. In Love with You (Alan Braxe Remix) - The Paradise (blog)
15. Digital Love - Wonky Pop Allstars (blog)

Let me know what you think. In my *ahem* humble opinion, it's a great way to start your night: a few bangers that slowly work themselves (and you too - you're along for the ride) into pure aural ecstasy, so dancey. haha.

Yeah, so, turn it up!; and onwards to the weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps. If you do end up with one of my homemade CDs in your hands, you'll note some of the songs are *slightly* different than the original mp3s you might have downloaded somewhere; I've been known to cut a few superfluous beats, most likely because of a too-long intro or outro.

It's a strange world, isn't it?

After a long Memorial Day weekend of being sporty during the day (with the wounds to prove it), and a homebody at night (every night), I'm left wondering, "I don't know if you're a detective or a pervert."

In any case (who am I to judge?), I finally had my first proper introduction to the distinctive (and, in some circles, revered) works of director David Lynch. You see, on a quiet Sunday night, a reel of Blue Velvet was unfurled before me (um, via Comcast On-Demand); and I figured a viewing of this cult classic was long overdue. My quiet nights of odd Lynchian design continued Monday, when characters, Wild at Heart, blazed a cross-country trail in a single-minded groove filled with deeply-connected sex and dusty violence. Ah yes, I was reminded that my livingroom couch is no convertible.

Regardless, even from my stationary position, I could view and evaluate these culturally foreign times and places, full of individuals that know nothing but wicked interaction. Scene after scene, Mr. Lynch crafted a violent - in every sense of the word - world of mystery and noir, exposing a bit of the unglamorous (and, further, seedy) underside in even the most mundane of American towns; with respect to the big city, don't even get him started. And you know what?; even as I'm not offended by the occasional graphic nature of the films, his subjects and methods weren't for me.

I mean, I can theoretically appreciate the place of these movies in the pantheon of great films, as they provided example for innovative storytelling technique and helped to break down barriers (with respect to what can/should be considered "appropriate" content in mainstream movies). But in terms of overall enjoyment (via either the viscerals of the characters/stories themselves, or via a more academic analysis of film technique), I just couldn't get into either one.

That said, I put "Inland Empire" on my SF library request list, so I haven't given up just yet; I, at least, want to be able to have a set of reference points when people start talking about Polish-prostitute-this and bugs-under-the-perfectly-manicured-lawn-that. In the meantime, maybe I'll read a few reviews in order to equip me with some analysis/insight from folks more learned than me in the ways of movie-making; my impression is that some of the passion for David Lynch is in an appreciation for his attention to details. "It's a strange world, isn't it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In semi-related news, I've talked about the free movie nights at The Independent before, so let me just say that they-be-back the first two weeks of June:

June 2nd: Rambo
June 9th: Semi-Pro

While I won't be in San Francisco for either of those dates, I think if you had any inclination to see either of these live-action cartoons, The Independent - and, more specifically, watching them while drinking at The Independent - is your best bet for smoothing over any qualms you may have with dumb-ass things like plausible plot or cogent dialog; the drunken group mentality really works for this sort of thing.

Whoa.. I hope that last paragraph doesn't come off as me being uptight. I've had my share of Mad Dog movie nights - as some of my friends would call the smuggling-in of MD20/20 into the movie theater to aid in our viewing of a film with questionable artistic value - over the years; for sure, there is a time and a place for everything. haha.

A gentle enticement back towards Moscow

While their new bag policy is getting all the press this week, American Airlines just sent out the word today that they are starting service from several US cities into Moscow on June 2, 2008. And as an introductory gesture, they are hooking up the adventurous traveler with 10,000 bonus miles and 25% percent off "normal" round-trip fares, which translates to something like $467 from NYC and $582 from SF ("Additional restrictions, taxes and fees apply", natch).

Check the website for the details, but "tickets must be purchased 7 days prior to departure or within 3 days of making reservations, whichever comes first, but no later than 11:59 p.m. (CT) June 20, 2008", "sale fares are valid for outbound travel June 2 through September 4, 2008.", and "all travel must be complete by March 4, 2009."

As I've mentioned before - probably en vivo - I wanted to head back to Russia and/or its neighbors early this coming Fall. But, now, with me doing a bunch of climbing lately (and getting a little taste of it outdoors), I've had my sights reset on more local destinations, including those in Utah, Colorado and California.

That said, it's hard to totally ignore this fare sale.. and it comes just when I received an offer yesterday to meet a friend in Japan - he's going to be there working at a museum for a few weeks in August. (In fact, one of my envisioned Russian adventures had me in Eastern Russia - maybe around Lake Baikal (Байкал) or Kamchatka (Камчатка) - then meeting our other friends *living* in Japan, on the way home).

We'll see; I need to think more about this; anyone interested?

I'm ready for more input now

My manager had our team read "StrengthsFinder 2.0" (best-selling management/self-improvement book) this week and take its associated online assessment test. Apparently, one of the higher-ups at the company has bought into the general philosophy of the book, which is to focus on developing your strengths instead of fighting the uphill battle of improving your weaknesses (this has the implicit maxim that you will end up working with others with strengths that complement your own). And, so, our group is the first of many that will go through the process..

I made some time today, did the required deed(s), and received a report proclaiming "my top 5 strengths/talents", in order:

1. Input - craving to know, collect, and archive information
2. Relator - enjoy close/deep relationships with others
3. Individualization - intrigued with unique qualities of others
4. Learner - great desire to learn and continuously improve
5. Analytical - searches for reasons/causes and identify patterns

The full report is about 10 pages of content that expounds on each talent with a set of "Personalized Strength Insights", which basically means that it takes into account all your other quiz-determined talents when it frames and provides commentary on the current one. Plus, it provides some short real-life anecdotes from other folks who fall into the same categories as you, which brings some "life" into the report (i.e. making it easier to relate to this personality assessment business). Finally - and this is where this book/system *might* have some value - it provides quite a few action items to reinforce your best qualities.

Yes, self-reflection is generally good.. but only if it leads to action for improvement!

Of course, you could get this information from other books, personality tests, and other self-assessment systems (and so I'm not going to be evangelicalizing this one in particular), but I can at least say that this method is relatively painless in that you only have to give it about an hour or two of investment up front (not counting your follow-up action items). And, for the most part, it seems to be pretty spot-on.. inasmuch as these general personality tests can be.

This coming week, my coworkers and I are getting together to discuss our individual results and see if we can use the information improve our execution environment (i.e. who does what, and how) and general team dynamics. Again, it's this type of *action* that - who knows - might make this diversion all worthwhile.

If the session with my work teammates, um, blows my mind, I'll probably write a follow-up; probably. haha. In the meantime, if you'd like to see my full report (pdf, natch), let me know; we'll learn a thing or two together.

Do you dare tempt the gods of grammar?

The comma splice, so *wicked* we find thee referenced, here, today, (free and clear) within this bit of non-fiction; and, furthermore, I'm sure we'll find it a tool *of* the wicked, forever.

According to a recent post on the media-phenom "Stuff White People Like" blog - I know you've all been there - white people love grammar; and in making the case, the author alleges:

When asking someone about their biggest annoyances in life, you might expect responses like "hunger," "being poor," or "getting shot." If you ask a white person, the most common response will likely be “people who use 'their' when they mean 'there.' Maybe comma splices, I’m not sure but it’s definitely one of the two.

True? Well, it's as true as anything else he's written on the blog; winkity-wink, and hahaha. But I need to confess (video) that I had to look up the definition of "comma splice" to even attempt to appreciate what I was guessing was an ironic reference (per the usual mode of operation on the WWPL site) to some semi-arcane rule of sentence construction. A quick google search verified that it was such a thing, indeed, and, further, it is a real no-no for the educated writer.

With respect to proper usage (and we'll see that *there is* such a thing) of this normally-frowned-upon exposition, Lynne Truss, self-styled grammar stickler extraordinaire and author of the bestselling "Eats, Shoots & Leaves", observes:

...so many highly respected writers observe the splice comma that a rather unfair rule emerges on this one: only do it if you're famous... Done knowingly by an established writer, the comma splice is effective, poetic, dashing. Done equally knowingly by people who are not published writers, it can look weak or presumptuous. Done ignorantly by ignorant people, it is awful.

While I'm going to be a little lazy now and not actually go through old blog posts to find an example, but I *know* that I employ the comma splice on occasion. And given that I'm not an established writer, I guess that sort of thing makes me look a little presumptuous to the person who would pick it up (and give a shit). Oh well - these things happen. ;)

Part of the appeal is that it *is* a disreputable technique.

There is something to be said for bending a set of rules - in this case, ones of grammar - in a knowing way so that you may convey meaning beyond a simple, first-level presentation of data. Sure, you've chosen a sequence of words, each with individual symbolism, but you can (and have to) organize them in such a way to provide secondary and tertiary information to the reader/listener (even as most of the time this is an unconscious process); keep in mind that the "information" we're talking about might have nothing to do with the strict meaning of the sentence, but it could have everything to do with making/continuing a connection via, for example, a certain turn of phrase that you both are familiar with.

So, you can willfully manipulate convention - here, in the very construction of your sentence - in order to provide deeper meaning and/or make a deeper connection with the audience. Everyone does it, even when they don't know they're doing it; but if you *are* aware of the phenomena, it can be very satisfying to tap into this human instinct. Layers upon layers upon abstract layers: who doesn't like to solve a puzzle?; and such complexity in the here-and-now keeps us coming back for more, without having the immediate need for reincarnation. Umm.. yeah. haha.

In other news - stumbled upon during c-splice research - "enormity" is not a synonym for "enormousness". Again, from wikipedia:

* Disputed usage: The enormity of the elephant astounded me.
* Traditional usage: The enormity of Stalin's purges astounds me.

For this, I only have one thought: Elephants and Stalins are astounding. And I bid you пока; a new week is upon us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps. If you find a comma splice in one of my past posts, let me know - put it in the comments - and I'll send you a homemade postcard collage; I make such things on occasion (including tonight). Do you dare?

Falke's Golden Cage getting right to the beats

Looks like I won't be the first one - as (personally) planned - to include the Fred Falke remix of Golden Cage (by The Whitest Boy Alive) on a blog-posted, so-so-fresh mixtape of dancey music. But was the ambition *really* there to make that happen (given that I've been majorly distracted lately by the call of my road bike and the climbing gym)?; probably not. ;)

In any case, it *was* just a matter of time before Golden Cage started showing up in mixes, live or otherwise, because it's one of the best songs of the year; in fact, I can say that it's *my* favorite right now (continuing the sentiment first expressed 2 months ago)! Actually, I heard it playing at the Cut Copy + Simian Mobile Disco show at Mezzanine a few weeks back - so awesome, by the way - and I remember telling my concert cohorts oh-my-god-I-love-this-song-I'm-totally-putting-it-into-my-next-Hotwell-mix (as if I was some sort of actual DJ, and they really cared for my "creative output"). haha. Yeah, that was totally the drinks talking.. although I really *do* have one of my little mix CDs planned for realization in the not-too-distant future. ;)

In any case, I downloaded Stockholm Syndrome's contribution to Disco Belle's Mixin' It Up series late Friday night while doing some massive catch-up on the music blogs, and just got to listenin' to it today. And beyond Golden Cage, it's pretty badass in general (in a subdued disco-y and house-y sort of way), with nods to both polyester classics and French butt-movers. The Stockholm Syndrome Remix of New Song (by Howard Jones) is another standout (which I'm hearing now for the first time - a good find!).

Check the tracklist:

01. D-Train - Music
02. Jermaine Jackson – Come To Me
03. Chic – I Want Your Love (Todd Terje Edit)
04. Daft Punk – Face To Face
05. The Believers - Who Dares To Believe In Me?
06. Seven Grand Housing Authority – The Question
07. Howard Jones – New Song (Stockholm Syndrome Remix)
08. The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)
09. Chromeo – Needy Girl (Lifelike Remix)
10. Coach House Rhythm Section – Timewarp
11. Fragmenté – I See You
12. Metropolis – Metropolis
13. Stockholm Syndrome - Quadrophonia
14. RAW - Asuca
15. Stockholm Syndrome – Make You Whole (Stockholm Syndrome Dub)
16. Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul (Fake Blood Remix)
17. Lil’ Mo Yin Yang – Reach
18. Kraak & Smaak – Squeeze Me
19. The System – You’re In My System
20. The Black Ghosts – Let’s Get Physical
21. Black Kids - Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)
22. Boys Noize – Oh! (A-Trak Remix)
23. Stockholm Syndrome - DJ’s Take Control
24. Estelle feat. Kanye West – American Boy (Stockholm Syndrome Dub)
25. The Black Ghosts – Any Way (Fake Blood Remix)

They certainly did some diggin' through their crates to put this one together! And if you're interested in downloading it, head on over to the original Disco Belle post; there, you'll also find commentary from the guys of Stockholm Syndrome on how/why each track came to be (in this mix). Interesting background, for sure, but I'd just say to quickly peruse the text and get right to the beats..

Art with bicoastal connections

For all my yap-yap about exhibit-this and postmodern-that, I am totally, and completely, not part of any sort of "art scene" here in San Francisco (or anywhere, for that matter - haha). That said, I do have more than just a superficial interest in and appreciation for artistic endeavors of many stripes; in fact, I've written a few blog posts on the subject (labeled with "art").

But recently, it occurred to me that I've been focusing almost exclusively on big names showing at established museums or galleries, folks like Anselm Kiefer and Jeff Koons, and places like SFMOMA and the Met, respectively. And that's all well and good, for sure; I'll continue to indulge in those cultural touchstones of the craft because, well, number one: they are pleasing on a pure aesthetic level, and two: their wide recognition means they are part of a shared public consciousness that I'd like to be able to recall and submit at cocktail parties (and have someone else know what I'm talking about). haha.

Ok, ok..

Still, as I've implied, it's crossed my mind that I "need" to hit up smaller galleries, especially local ones.. to simply show up and take my chances on lesser-known artists, to meet some interesting folks with some of these similar interests (and, therefore, by necessity, to get over any hesitance about not fitting into a scene). On a side note, I find it funny that I'm much more comfortable showing up at, say, a NYC gallery opening than a San Francisco one (and I've been to many more in the former than in the latter) because, I think, that the NYC scene is so far from my normal reality that the whole endeavor becomes, almost, a slightly-abstracted performance, one where I've let go of any presumptions about who am I or who I need to be in that particular time and place; yeah, I think when I'm traveling, in general, I've got a "vacation mentality" going on. And que será será! haha.

But I digress..

This weekend, it seems, is a great time to get into "art" in San Francisco. You see, you'll have an opportunity on both Friday *and* Saturday to attend opening receptions for fresh new work at two different, and well-known, Mission district galleries, Ratio 3 and Jack Hanley. (Relating back to some of my comments above, both of these galleries have strong ties to NYC, so maybe such a bi-coastal relationship will put me at ease.. haha.)

First up, the Ratio 3 gallery is hosting Ryan McGinley's first "West Coast debut solo exhibition":

Ryan McGinley: Spring and By Summer Fall
May 9 - July 21, 2008
Opening: Friday May 9 (6–8pm)

From looking at some of his photography from the show online, they seem to be from the same stock as those featured in his last solo show, "I Know Where the Summer Goes", which just closed at Team Gallery in NYC. And I think this is a good thing.. Mr. McGinley's photography is well received (he's had many a'solo the world over, including being the youngest to show at The Whitney); there is a simple and nostalgic vibrancy to his work. I'm definitely going to this one.. although it should be noted that I can't imagine this being anything but a mobscene, given the artist involved and the fact that word is out. Part of the fun, I suppose. ;)

And if you haven't got your fill of the visual and the visceral yet, the Jack Hanley gallery is hosting an opening reception for New Zealand artist Saskia Leek on the very next night:

Saskia Leek: Thick Air Method
May 10 - 31, 2008
Opening: Saturday May 10 (6-9pm)

I, admittedly, know less about Ms. Leek and her pastel, angular paintings, but from what I've seen recently, I think it will be worth it to check out live. Regardless, Jack Hanley is known for its well-curated shows, so you can show up based on the gallery's reputation alone.. most people do just that. And if you're lucky, they'll have some free beer. ;)

In any case, I'll be out of town Saturday, so I'll miss this second bit of fun; but if any of you do check it out, let me know. (And if you'd like to see the McGinley show Friday night, let me know and we can coordinate.) Until then!

~~~~~~~~~

Aah.. in the meantime, I can't resist saying one thing about a biggie: Mr. Koons currently has three of his bombastic sculptures up on the roof of the Met, showing through October 26, 2008. Whether you find his work charming or juvenile (or charmingly juvenile), the Met's rooftop garden should be a nice place to have a martini on a warm summer night in the city; the Met's martini bar is open 5:30–8:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Word.

Boonville Beer Festival delicious this Saturday

Wow.. I can't believe this fell off my radar, but I just read that the annual Boonville Beer Festival is THIS SATURDAY. Too bad on the timing - I have a few other commitments this weekend - because it was really fun to go last year (my first and only time so far).

It's a straight-up beautiful day of all-you-can-drink delicious local California brews in a boisterous outdoor festival atmosphere. I've been to other brewfests before (including the mothership GABF in Denver), and Boonville's just left me with such a great impression of the microbrew scene in general. Simply, a great time with good peeps. Hedonist Beer Jive agrees (and provides some great reasons why BBF is hard to top).

In any case, if you have a chance, I highly recommend making it out to Boonville this weekend, a scant 2.5 hours north of San Francisco, especially if we continue this nice weather trend. You'll find yourself in an atmosphere where it's easy to get a little boisterous, and maybe little sloppy (but in a very good way). haha. Yeah, so on that note, be sure to arrange for a designated driver, or just plan to stay the night; there are plenty of hotels and B&B's in the area.. you can even camp right at the festival grounds for the ultimate in convenience (though I'll say nothing on the comfort of that option).

And remember, there is only one rule: DON'T drop your glass!

Ready to superimpose your lips on mine?

Man, I love the syncro-vox interviews on Late Night with Conan O'Brien!

Over the weekend, I caught the latest one - with firebrand and, I use the term loosely, media darling (one we love to hate), Jeremiah Wright - on hulu.com; it was originally aired on April 30, 2008 (but now find it on-demand, natch). And as far as I'm concerned, Conan and his crew need to do more of these sketches, these fake celebrity interviews, of which I've apparently only seen just a handful, because wikipedia mentions no less than 12 different ones out there, from Tom Cruise and Donald Trump to Martha Stewart and Hillary Clinton.

Wait, hold up a sec..

For those of you not familiar with syncro-vox, it is filming method that superimposes real talking lips onto a static photograph or cartoon (positioning the lips so that it looks as if the person/animal/whatever is doing the talking). But nevermind the technicals; all we need to know is that its results are totally silly and totally hilarious, especially in the hands of madwitty comedians like Robert Smigel and Brian Stack, who handle the syncro-vox "impersonations" on Conan.

So, without further ado, check the Reverend Jeremiah Wright on Conan now (video).. as, um, interpreted by Mr. Smigel. Awesome.

I've tried looking up some other clips on hulu.com and youtube.com, but I could only find a couple featuring (our governor), Arnold Schwarzenegger. The first (video) is "Arnold" role playing every cast member from Friends (much to Conan's chagrin, but to the audience's delight), and the second (video) is Arnold meeting "Arnold", followed by Arnold syncro-vox'ing Conan live. Huh? Just watch, and you'll see what I mean; the tables will have turned!

In any case, I wish I could find more clips, so if you have any links/leads, let me know! In the meantime, good evening!.. and goddamn you (all to hell) (video)! And Fievel Goes West!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, in other contexts, syncro-vox can look pretty dark and creepy. For this, let me submit Captain Fathom (video), low budget cartoonage from the 60's, as my evidence. Makes me feel all swarthy just looking at it.. haha.

Rediscover the traditional foods of America

Have you ever tried making squirrel stew?

No?

Waiting for the right recipe?

Well, your wait is over, my friends; let me point you to Gary Paul Nabhan's new must-read, "Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods", which compiles and chronicles the long-and-getting-longer list of traditional foods (i.e. plants + animals) at risk of becoming extinct here in the US. In doing so, he follows the following philosophy:

"If we save a vegetable but we don’t save the recipes and the farmers don't benefit because no one eats it, then we haven’t done our work."

In other words, he knows we can't mandate that farmers grow certain crops or raise certain animals from the top-down, simply for the sake of them being museum pieces (even as it *would* good for overall genetic diversity); farmers still need to make a living, so how would we fund this work? As such, Mr. Nabhan takes the bottom-up approach, stirring demand for heirloom varieties of traditional American foods, such as Chickasaw plum and free-range American bison, by working with organizations like Slow Food and the Chefs Collaborative to educate, first, "foodies", and, now, slowly, a broader public audience (like myself).

In any case, I found this book through an article in The NYTimes (big surprise, huh?):

An Unlikely Way to Save a Species: Serve It for Dinner
By Kim Severson
Published: April 30, 2008

While the book focuses on the stories of 93 ingredients, Mr. Nabhan's full list is actually over a thousand, organized into 13 culinary regions; the NYTimes created a wonderful interactive map of the system here.

For sure, check it. The map makes me hungry in every sense of the word; it makes me want to travel 'cross the country, sampling a bit of food (eat!) and a bit of air (breathe!) from here and a bit from there. And if you have the chance, find your local farmer's market and buy what's fresh and interesting; or see what heirloom goodies are on the menus of your local restaurants.

Perhaps, here, you can follow the old advice (challenge?) to an almost-literal degree: put your money where you mouth is.. because your loudest vote - even in a big election year like this one - is always done with your dollars. And if you end up rustlin' up the ingredients for a big ol' pot of Kentucky burgoo, let me know; I'll swing on over, mind open, spoon in hand, and tastebuds ready for action.

Implications of my grammatical construction

As I alluded to in a previous post, my work was sending me to Beijing to present a few days of training to our colleagues in Asia; some of my US-based coworkers and I have been developing a ton of new material over the past couple of quarters. In fact, I was supposed to leave tomorrow!

And as the grammatical construction of the above sentences is implying - "was" this, and "was" that - my trip, as of this morning, is canceled. Really, what the f'?!

It's funny, I've been so blasé about the prospect of this Asian junket, even as I bought the plane tickets (about a month ago), been visiting the Chinese Consulate here in San Francisco, and doing final preparations with the training material. I think this odd attitude was a result of the combination of things being so well for me here at home - climbing and cycling, meeting new people and rockin' mad concerts, etc. - and the fact that China has never really been high on my travel radar for some reason. Well, at least, I haven't been interested in the major east coast cities of China, like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou; however, I do have some passing interest in some of the "wild west", like hiking in the Tien Shan mountains or taking photographs of the oilfields around Korla. But those latter musings are not really here, nor there (for now).

In any case, the short version is that I've been, of course, ready to go from a personal and professional standpoint, but not really "excited" about going. But it still feels weird (i.e. not cool) to have the official word that I *can't* go. You see, after a month of efforts, I couldn't get a Chinese visa in time for the trip.

I'm not interested in laying out the entire timeline of snafus, but suffice to say that it's rooted in mad bureaucracy and unfortunate coincidences. In fact, as of yesterday, I finally have all the necessary paperwork (err, well, I think I do - they changed the rules on me for business visas mid-process the other week), but the Chinese visa office is closed until Monday for a Chinese holiday. Go figure.

Yeah, so, if everything went perfect at the Consulate, I *could* - theoretically, anyway - get 1-day turnaround on my visa application and be in Beijing 5:20AM Wednesday morning.. which *is* in time for 3 solid days of work (vs. the originally-planned 5), but my manager deemed this alternative too much of a risk, given my trackrecord with the Consulate thus far. Instead, my other coworker on the trip (there were two of us) is going to do all the training by herself.. yikes!, for her; it'll be pretty stressful.

It's fine that it worked out this way, of course, but too bad; it's been a (medium/minor) bummer on my morning. For now, maybe I can shake off the bad taste in my mouth from this experience, read up a little more about the country, and make my way over there one of these days, for work or otherwise. In the meantime, I'll have to find my Gold Tips closer to home.