I lost my journal this month. Here are exerts from my flatmate's (Parker) journal.
"It's a good thing that China's news services are uncorruptible.
Incorrigable? Indisputably. If only I could write or spell."
"Did you know that Nunavut
has an official flower, bird, and animal, just like real provinces (and
I suppose territories)? The territory's legislators picked the Purple
Saxifrage (Saixfraga oppositifolia) as the territory's floral emblem,
the Canadian Inuit Dog (Canis familiaris borealis) as Nunavut's official
animal, and the Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) as the territory's official
bird. That's straight news from Nunavut, people, but I suppose it was
only really news when they actually picked them three years ago."
"I was supposed to go to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and that
it was up in the air whether or not I was going. The Man told me earlier
that I was going, then told me Monday that we were flying out on Thursday
and returning Sunday. Then I heard through the grapevine that we were,
in fact, staying until Tuesday. The return date was then pushed back until
Wednesday.
"At this point I begged out of the trip - I mean, I love the
blazing heat and high humidity of the Southern Chinese summer, but Beijing
is enough for me. And there are compelling reasons not to go down there.
Who would water my plant? Who would... do... other stuff? Plus I'd miss
two Chinese classes.
"So Rickie and Joseph went down there, leaving me high and
dry back here. I have to come in tomorrow morning to test incoming students
and determine their English ability, but this is a small price to pay,
I think. Also, I don't relish the idea of staying down there for an indefinite
period of time... they always buy one-way tickets and decide when to come
back later. I could be down there a while."