29 - Gettin' Giggy Wid It

My plan was
to come to Beijing and start a band.

Which i haven't done.

No time.

But.

I do have a gig scheduled in.

My friend Yuqi, one of the few friends i have in this massivorama city, is one of those few actual professional musicians. Paid to write songs, support bands, invited to play at festivals yadda yadda. Aside: but he's not that professional, 'cause when he doesn't like the band, he looks soooooo bored out of his brains.

He's also buddhist, and often recounts amazing stories about how his master cures his ailments by telling him to purchase and set free animals, and about fish jumping and jumping and jumping for joy in gratitude.

Anyhow.

He invited me to open for him at his next gig, which is a wk and a 1/2 away. i should choose my songs. I should practice. I should secure a digital delay pedal.

I'll bang out some old songs. Like 10yrs + old. Sheesh, i sure hope they don't sound too dated.

Anyhow, it's enough to keep me busy for now.

More on this later.

ps. Weird, that Yuqi's wearing a CBC shirt in the picture, not that he knew that at the time of the photoshoot.

26 - smoldering

Last spring I was smoking more cigarettes than usual, mostly 'cause it was easy whenever Q was having one.

Summer i smoked a lot of greens, mostly 'cause I was i was happy to exploit the fact that it was easy to.

Then i had my 1 month of pure sobriety, and have had substance use at (imo) perfectly reasonable rates of usage ever since.

A pack of smokes lasts more than a month. Greens maybe a couple times a month. Drinking now and again, though definitely not much lately since i've bn sick.

that said, i had # of beverages last night, topped off w/ a hit of Absinthe, (burns in yr ears, that shit!) and felt pretty decent this morning. Largely, i think it was good to head out w/ my coworkers, Q and big bro for a rare night out. Haven't puked for a long time. Oops, no there was that one time, but it was a really tiny puke, so i'd hardly say it counts.

28 - bye bye doggie

Top is going bk to her owner today or tomorrow. Well she ain't our dog or responsibility, but it seems certain that she'll have less time, exercise, and love over yonder. So that's too bad for her.

Oh well, maybe we can reconsider later on. Also, my bro's future in BJ is uncertain, and 3 parties to take care of Top has been helpful indeed. So we shouldn't make premature decisions.

And it's weird: it really seems like she knows she's going. She's really mopey and down today. that kinda depresses me.

27 - staggered schedules

Q and i haven't been seeing so much of each other as of late.

1st she was off to Hangzhou for a few days on a work trip, then upon her return to BJ, she was working on the late side, returning bk to house, when i was already asleep. And then it's good to spend some dn time with each other when the work is done, but frankly the different sleep schedules make it all too easy for crankiness to set in on one end or another.

Sigh.

Well, at least there's no alarms tomorrow morning, and amen to that.

25 - Blow Up In My Face

How the hell is a guy supposed to have fun w/ all the stress that comes from work?

One kid acting up as of late, apparently distressing other students by his disrespectful interactions w/ yours truly. He and principal duke it out, and he refuses to believe that the class isn't all on his side, thus the principal comes into class to ask all students to write on a slip of paper what they feel about his behaviour. (His request, as stated). In retrospect, i'd have preferred to have stated that was inappropriate to ask students to choose sides, and the results of such a survey (anonymous, but not in fact to be made available to said boy's eyes) are practically speaking, ineffectual.

I plan to play a game tomorrow with the intention of having students do some group building, and spread a little love around again. Sheesh.

Add to that, the vocabulary list from the low group's sex ed class made girl X so uncomfortable that she showed one of her Chinese teachers who showed it to my principal, who did find it to be ... unnecessarily hardcore.

Penis, vagina, masturbation, oral sex, HIV, AIDS, condom, semen.

No diagrams, though that obviously would have been the easiest way to get the pt across.

I'm pretty sure girl X was the one who kept seething, "Gross!" when explained oral sex or such. "Oral sex is when someone uses the mouth on the penis or vagina," I boldly proclaimed.

Note to self, and all other interested parties: sex is not a topic covered in Chinese schools, nor is that seen as a fault.

So even I started squirming a bit, thinking about Chinese school administration or parental reactions...

My principal even asked me if i really need to finish my last sex ed session tomorrow. I said, yes, I have to. Because tomorrow is when I will answer the questions which were all put into the Question Box i passed around today.

Sample questions:
"How do gay have sex?" (Great, now i have to add "anus" to the vocab list).
"Can eat semen unhealthy?"
"How old is sex good?"
"I dream sex everytime. Healthy or no?"
"When is vagina good sex?" (i think this means when is a girl's vagina ready for intercourse).
"How to control sex?" (control sex drive? Pbly. But i'll seize the opportunity to tell dudes that women need more time.)
"What is SM?" (pbly a joke, but i'm happy to discuss it).
"What is too much masturbation? Unhealthy?"
"Why is semen smell bad?" Try less meat, more pineapple juice. Or see a doctor.

So generally, the questions seem super sincere, and there's no way these questions should go unanswered. Also, i was thankful to have proof that the vocab is necessary to talk about these things.

So we'll tie that up tomorrow, and let anyone who doesn't wanna stick around opt out and do puzzles/review. I do give myself a hard time for being out of touch w/ the fact that i'm not in North America, a place where sex ed also causes drama in class and staff rooms.

Well that's all good and fun to write about, but seriously, i can't handle this many headaches in one day.

24 - sex ed

With absolute minimal preparation, i threw a sex education class at my low class. It's Planning, and we'd just done Healthy Relationships, so it wasn't totally out of the blue.

Vocab includes gems such as:
oral sex - using a mouth on a penis or vagina.
masturbation - sex fun by yourself.

and other simplified definitions.

Stop saying "gross", MaryJane,sheesh.

What is "sex"? We'll opt for the broad def.

Talked a bit about not-sexual fun to be had, and readiness.

Will throw some more ideas at them tomorrow.

i feel alright about tackling this stuff, since i hear that sex ed in China is rather lacking. As in, not covered in school. And hey kids, something that is so massive in teenagers' (and adults') minds is important enough that we should be able to like communicate about it. Dig?

23 - Hump Attack

Might i mention that it's a slight hassle taking care of an unspayed female pooch. 'Cause every dog male, and even female is driven to check out her genitals. I don't know why i find myself surprised to find animals acting like animals, but seriously a lot of these dogs Just. Won't. Give. Up.

They mount her from behind.

They mount her from the front.

You pick her up.

They jump towards her.

One humped my leg.

So you try and run away from the other dogs.

But sometimes they just follow you.

Owners truly nowhere in sight.

One big black punk followed her home.

All the way up 6 flights of stairs.

So like any dog she loves getting out of the apartment, and it's lovely to see her have fun...

But also having the responsibility to protect her from gang rape is potentially a bit stressy.

Other than that, i'm a bit sick. More rest? Yes please.

22 - Nothing Witty Today

But nonetheless interesting to say that the pooch is unspayed, and all dogs are annoyingly into humping her and licking her snatch. She even left menstrual blood on the couch, or dripped it onto the floor whereupon she would generally lick it up afterwards. Thoughtful, indeed.

Rumour is she'll go bk to her owner before long, which i have mixed feelings about. She really is a sweet dog, and the little bit of attention she gets here is likely much better than what she gets at home.

Also, I'm too tired, esp after working too much OT, and having little to show for it. I wish i could get more planned out, or maybe just have an easier profession.

Happy to have a cup of ginger tea and an early bedtime tonight! Old man, i am.

Oh, but i'll update the post below w/ a pic of Top, the very sweet and somewhat overpriced dog.

21 - dealing with the meds

i saw an ad someone placed saying she had a meditation group going on Sundays, so i went to check it out today. Today i was the only other person there.

We sat in chairs, and she showed me a music track we could listen to while sitting. Some new age-y forest elucidations track. (No thanks). So i chose the second track, which turned out to be a guided meditation which was surely used at the end of some 3 day holistic entrepreneurial money-making course.

"Imagine you are in a tropical climate, sitting at the bow of a sailboat... and the black night envelops you..."

funny, my body was screaming at me with aversion as i debated ignoring the instructions and just meditating, or trying to learn something from the instructions, or to at least take it in without my massive personal judgments about what's good/bad.

Luckily, it was only 20 min long, and we both had stuff to do right after.

Inhale, exhale. Whew!

20

No comment.

19 - The Top Dog

Last night Q comes into the room, throws on the lights, and says, "Look!"
Through bleary eyes i discern what at first appeared to be a teddy bear but was actually a slightly nervous miniature schnauzer (for those who are into breed names, i found the translation).

It's her boss's. Offered to be taken in by Q since the dog had been forgotten in pet hospital/pet sitter's after a 2 wk stay since her owner was "too busy" to care for her.

So that's cool and fine, esp since it's the wkend right now. But truly, as was the problem with the last dog (and even the cat) I/we really don't have much time to care for an animal properly.

As stated earlier, i really should find a way to stream my teaching work. 10 hrs/day is too much to be average at this pt in time.

Also, weirdly enough, i'd feel the pressure to take good care of this dog considering that he's worth 150,000 rmb. Yes, that would be like TWENTY THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS worth of dog. Q's boss previously worked at a dog farm, and this pup has won competitions, for being a model dog.

Not super obedient or trick-ripping or that, but she really is a perfectly proper extra-cute specimen. Perfectly. Who knew dog eye lashes existed in such lenghths!

Aside: i don't know how i feel about owning a dog whose haircut would exponentially cost more than my own... not to mention the pressure/responsibility to care for a dog who worth a couple budget automobiles and an iPhone.

Anyhow, i concur that our apartment is a much much better place for Top than being forgotten in some animal hospital, even if it's not ideal. Well we'll see what happens in days to come.

ps. Will take a photo tomorrow and will post asap.

18 - Refuge

So yesterday i drop off names for Buddhist monks to pray for my dad and his dad. Money already paid. Q thinks it's a waste of money, but my bro and i are willing to give it a shot.

At my friend's (where his lama master is staying) he reiterates an offer that i can take refuge if i want, as numerous people have already done. And because who knows the next time i might have an opportunity w/ a good lama.

i hem and haw a fair bit. Don't feel ready. Feel like too much of a sinner. Etc, etc.

But then again, i also like the idea of a lama who my friend vouches for. And i think i expect i'd become a buddhist sometime down the road, and why should i hesitate? Why delay something which could make me a better person or bring more solace into my life? Even if i have less fun due to less sinning?

So i said ok.

So i sit down before the 37 year old Tibetan monk and his makeshift altar. He recites some stuff. I close my eyes and feel wave after wave of energy washing through me. Not unpleasant or pleasant. Just energy. Mind wandering a lot, because i'm already late for dinner w/ Derrick, and wondering what Q will think, wondering what i've gotten myself into, wondering how long it'll take. Also somebody's cell phone starts ringing.

He throws a few pinches of rice over me.

i do my best to repeat some Tibetan lines.

More recitation, and that's it.

Gives me a Tibetan name (to add to my already long list): Yishi San Zhu. Something about wisdom and receiving what i want. Which is alright, though i think i need to want less, don't i?

He says some more stuff, gives me some interesting little gifts, glances at his txt messages, gives me an official Taking Refuge card/booklet. He gives me his card, and says i can call him anytime or txt (since obviously i can't speak Tibetan, and he can get a translator).

I feel fine. Not elated or anything. The idea of being connected w/ a ancient lineage of lamas is really good, though pretty much intellectual.

However later Q says she's a bit surprised i did it since she thinks it's not quite the buddhism that i follow. And it's true, there's a feeling of religiosity that goes w/ this one, and even a bit of... magic.

Oh shit, did i sign up w/ the wrong religion?
Well kids, that's what happens when you impulse shop w/out doing yr research.

Now off to practice my Tibetan prayers.

17 - Predictable, Yet Unexpected

Sort of spur of the moment decision.








Today

i

became

a

Buddhist.

16 - Oops i missed a day

Busy doing semi-secret tasks and meeting with visiting buddhist lama master to ensure semi-secret buddhist prayers are said to aid my less than content father deal with the weight of his own deceased father.

Plus the school inspectors from BC are visiting, stressing out too many people.

Plus I'm sick.

15 - $$$

People who know me may know that i've been raised with enough of a silver spoon in my mouth to feel no particular fondness for money. Quite the blessing for which i thank my parents, and the oil and gas industry which largely contributed to my upbringing.

Also, i've had the good fortune of attending university when it was much more affordable than present times, and was able squeak past my graduation without debt, also thanks to sizable contributions from my parents.

So now, on top of personal indulgences i hope to spread a bit of cash around in a way which spreads its benefits beyond myself. but unfortunately i'm kind of a lazy mofo.

I had big aspirations to invest in some green industries this summer, but that was months ago, and i haven't really got that on the go for no real reason except for procrastination. And occasional internet issues.

I've also gotten into Wokai, a micro-loaning thing. It's like Kiva, but based in China, sending people who need money money, and then they pay it back if and when they can. So it's like doing business with them, but not offering charity. Although there's no profit to be had on this end.

And a few of my loans have been paid back, but then i get lazy and don't redistribute to new folks. Picking and choosing is a bit of a ridiculous game. All the write-ups look like they've been edited by the same person, and all sound pretty sincere. so i tend to loan to farmers instead of people selling cheap plastic toys or shoes.

Good news: in the process of writing this blog, i redistrbuted my paid bk loans, and even tried to figure out some investing stuff (cut couldn't due to internet issues. For reals).

Anyhow. Sometimes i worry that i don't have any long term $ or career goals or plans. Well, i did take off my wallet chain anyhow, so maybe that's a step out of the teen years at least.

14 - Note from my principal

Dear [sq],

Thanks for doing such a great job on Friday night. I was hoping that the numbers would have been more do-able but it's great PR to have so many parents getting the opportunity to meet and talk with such outstanding teachers!

Four parents commented on a few items- I don't know which students' parents they were ...but in any case it's important to be aware of parent perspective:


The parents are very anxious that their children are quite possibly drawing undesirable attention to themselves in this 'police state' by constantly trying to access illegal sites on the Internet. In order to be a successful business person in China a membership in the Communist Party is virtually mandatory...thus Linda Wong's conspicuous membership. We have students who are members of the Communist Party and the community is constantly being reminded of their responsibility to inform the officials with information on various government policies and concerns- residency infractions etc...You can imagine how students, knowing that 'so in so' is a party member who may feel the need to let the 'powers that be' know that they are spreading or embracing anti government stands etc, might fear the worst about the possible effect that this could have on their future opportunities.

The parents did also add that they would not have any concerns if it were within the context of a history class where a few historical topics came up naturally and necessarily. They would prefer that since this is not necessary in English 10 that it would be appreciated if more comfortable topics could be used. Personally, I have used a survey in the past to identify students' common interests or points of view in order to allow them to 'choose' their side of a debate or discussion. To be given a notorious person to justify as their 'hero' is not the same, especially in China, as singing the praises of one's own chosen role model. N's version of the 'fish bowl' activity would be a great way to organize very valuable classroom discussions -taking some of the focus off the individual as well.


The parents also mentioned that they would prefer a more 'professional' dress..they included mention of the heavy metal chain and ear ring- which they felt was 'young' rather than professional. I suppose this is in keeping with X and Y's dress code expectations- 'shirt, tie and corresponding attire'. Personally I don't think an ear ring is significant -either way.

Well, it all seems pretty reasonable, i admit.

13- Strange Coincidence

Me and my brother caught a screening of Burma VJ, part of a Norway Documentary festival. The movie details the struggles of independent democratic journalists who take the duty upon themselves to report the struggles of Burma (against the govt) and the risks they take on in doing so.

The documentary talks at some length of Aung San Suu Kyi, the house-arrested leader.

And then, in the time span in which we watched the movie, she was RELEASED for the first time since 2003. Released! I was surprised that the film-maker himself seemed so calm about it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/12/aung-san-suu-kyi-profile

Well, this will roll through the media for some time yet to come. You'll get it.

12 - interviews

parent teacher interviews
okay
then din and drinks w/ my lovely coworkers
now it's late
gotta sleep
zzzz

11 - Tick tick tick

Broken record.
Would appreciate more time.
Consistently work 10 hrs/day, today more.
Such is my life as a teacher w/ 3 new classes, and daily building materials and resources on top of marking.

Do appreciate my hours off, and could do a lot more w/ them if it wasn't for the necessities like eating, bathing, and sleeping.

Thank god for cheap-o restaurants.
How the hell do people plan and cook meals on top of this?

Next year i could exploit the resources i'm making now.
But that would mean returning to the same school.
And i'd already decided last year that this would be my last year with this less than ideal employer.
But then again, my principal and staff are great.
Can't complain 'bout them kids either.
And living downtown is much nicer than the 'burbs.
Even if it's a big financial hit to move out here.
And annoyingly i'm already at the top of the pay scale.
The not so high top.

Well, money ain't everything.
As i'm financially stable enough to have the luxury to say that.
Lucky for me.

But i would like more time.
To finish my painting.
Meditate.
Start a band.
Run more.
Cook more.
And actually do the stuff that living dntn should enable me to do.

10 - blah

Low energy day. Kinda grumpy. Not even the joy of getting two kids suspended for smoking cheered me up. And they deserved it after being caught once, received the official warning, and then had numerous occasions where they escaped being caught by a mere second or two (ie. Cig in hand and lighter poised when Mr W strolled in).

Anyhow, yesterday in explanation of my mood, Q postulated that women have periods, but men also get them (minus the ovum-derived blood).

Maybe. I have felt kinda off for a couple days for no real reason.

Will shower, meditate a few minutes and go to sleep early methinks.

9 - It's the Bomb!

i never mentioned on this blog that a couple wks ago or so there was a bomb that went off maybe 500m away from my apt. Buildings shook, people's ear drums were rang and there was general local confusion. I was nowhere nearby the explosion. Apparently just one foreigner was injured, not seriously.

i was kinda surprised i even caught wind of it, considering that i'm not very exposed to local news. Later i read that the police arrested somebody for it. No word on how they found him, or what it was about.

End of story. Curiously enough.

Anyhow, this tidbit of knowledge seems downright incongruous with my experience and feeling of living in Beijing. Doesn't change my outlook one bit.

Although it's pbly a good thing that i picked up that heavy duty helmet the other day.

8 - Night Cap

Last night i went out for dinner, for this sorta hotpot, sorta not food that's really good. Get it quite a bit actually, and i've never seen it in Canada.

Drank the oily broth/soup against Q's warning.

Woke up last night w/ stomach ache.

Took a rather liquidy yet lumpy crap.

Flushed.

Stuck a couple fingers down my throat but it was of little consequence.

Sat down on the couch.

Q woke up and got me some pills and some powdery drink.

Went to bed.

Woke up feeling basically fine.

The end.

The Speed of Progress

When I came to Beijing in 2007, this is what the subway map looked like:




Today, the subway map looks like this:



Line 9, is almost but not yet opened, but slated to open this year, so they say. Last night i met some American dude who commented that Beijing is a surprisingly modern city. It is indeed. In fact, much more modern now than it was a few short years ago, as tons of development, money, and futuristic architecture have pummeled their way into this somewhat smoggy metropolis.

It looks good. But it is sad that a lot of historical hutongs and neighbourhoods are being wiped into oblivion because Versace and H&M need brightly chrome accented shopping malls to make their homes in.

I could use this opportunity to talk about "the bubble" or the heavy expectations that "if you build it, they will come," but frankly i'm a bit too tired today. So instead i'll just say that more subways is better, they get great use, they're highly subsidized ($0.30 to ride anywhere), and i almost never use them since i live downtown and have a bike now.

6 - Totally Unnecessary Purchase of the Day

This will likely be my winter bike helmet.
"I feel the need. The need for speed." - Maverick, TOP GUN.

5 - Sponge-ified

My brother came to BJ with a hard drive full of carefully selected Spongebob Squarepants episodes. "Cream of the cream" he stated.

And though i never particularly want to view any of them, they have nonetheless become a reasonably regular feature in this Dongzhimen apartment.

I had my first dose of Sponge Bob this summer, via the feature film. Which i must say is... jaw-droppingly amazing, against all expectations. Kinda like how everybody thought Bring It On part one seemed pathetic until they actually saw it.

The Spongebob movie left me gasping for air, and literally unable to sleep. The episodes aren't quite so fulfilling, but they do kill 10 min of the evening pretty easily.

I think that Spongebob is a cartoon made for adults, masquerading as a cartoon made for children. The episode about the pirate ghost could hardly be more overtly LSD-laden.

In the end, my 40 yr old brother is still pbly the biggest fan around here. He finishes every episode by stating, "Ha ha... funny," to confirm it.

i never feel the need, but would hate to destroy the team-spirit of sitting down w/ the gf and bro family to take in some hyperactive yellow animation shorts.

4 - statusq Does Not Stand Up for Freedom of Speech

Get a call from one of the school owners. Want me to come down to the head office. To talk about something. No explanation why.

This kinda makes me nervous. I meet up w/ the owner. He eventually discloses that an unidentified parent sent him word that a said Mr Wang was reportedly talking about Tibet in class.

Which i was.

Canadian Eng textbook: "Research an incident where a minority group in Canada was discriminated against."

So they did. Replaced "Canada" with "China" in an effort to stay relevant. Possible topics: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Falun Gong, and Tibet.

And apparently (after all presentations were a fait accompli), some anonymous parent contacted the school.

The owner was notably shaken. I felt bad for him. i agreed in fact that i could have paid more sensitivity to the country i'm residing in, and agreed to drop said topics in the future. (insert frowny face).

Next day, i informed 2 students that they will no longer be researching the Dalai Lama or Liu Xiaobo for the Heroes project. "Why? It's ok, we don't mind." "Sorry, it's not my decision. But if yr interested you should learn about it on yr own time." i had given students a bit of advice about hopping the China Firewall.

Staff members were surprised to hear my news, since they all expected Craig to get the call. He's the guy who had every single gr 12 student researching Liu Xiaobo and China viewpoints, and rating him as a patriot or not.

His take is that for Social Studies, he would take the complaint to the BC Ministry of Education, believing that nothing less than Freedom of Speech is at stake.

i take his point, and he concurs that my position and situation is not worth "the good fight" per say...

But if he is asked to self-censor, i'm sure the fall out will be interesting indeed.

Day 3 - Meditation Day three

The last 2 wks i meditated w/ a few friends here at my apt. It was good. Today two of the guys are off doing a musical festival in Hangzhou. So i'll just go on solo, or maybe in the company of my bro.

These few brief sessions are the most regular practice i've had in a long long time, so i think it's good. even if it's just a half hour, it's loosely scheduled, and i want more routine in my life.

Routine? That sounds kind of old-man-ish, and frankly lame, but in fact i'm quite happy that after years of being off the daily tooth flossing routine, i've gotten back on track w/ that.

Also for 3 wkends in a row now i've had a wkend run. Even if my run turns more into a leisurely shopping session at the ragtag outdoor market that gets thrown down onto blankets and dirt.

So i questioned myself, "Um, how is this supposed to qualify as exercise?"

"Who cares, this is rad!"

Day 2 - Workers of the World - Unite! i said, "Unite." "UNITE!" Oh, forget it.

Last wkend Derrick and i went to revisit suburbia and beyond. D was out to get some documentary footage of these recycling communiities we went to before.

We edged our way in and hung out for a couple hours observing people sort through massive mountains of plastic pop and water and cooking oil bottles. It was mind-numbingly repetitive work. They would glance at D's otherworldly tripod and camera set up, possibly smile, possibly not, and then get back to the endless task at hand.

That was the woman's work.

The men's work happened when some young and some old men started dragging these huge bags of sorted bottles over to a shredding machine. They started up this goddawfully loud machine, and proceeded to start heaving and dumping the bottles in, and the quickly scooping the plastic shrapnel into smaller sacks, and piling them up into amazingly vertical stacks, which could reach 2 stories in height.

Anyhow, a number of times i've been saddened about the lack of worker safety happening in China. A pair of ear plugs'd cost you 30cents and could save your hearing for life. Why isn't somebody making this available? Isn't somebody responsible for worker health somewhere?

And while they're at it, could they please also get those welders to put on some sunglasses? Geez, i pity those guys' retinas.

Anyhow, I can only assume that there's people who are better positioned than i who can (and are?) working to make these changes. Really there's little excuse not to get some cheap ass pieces of cotton or something into these dudes' ears, or some cheap ass shades onto the faces.

No comment on bike helmets today. Maybe for a later post.

1 - rev'er up

well i'm in for another 30 days. They say writing is a practice, some say it's a meditation, you do it whether you feel it or not, as a means of building yr foundation. Well i'll hammer this one out for 30 more and see if it revitalizes my practice.

One of the latest news headlines:
Q's Bike Stolen in Dark of Night!

So that's pretty shitty. I bought her this pretty sweet Dahon folding aluminum bike. It really was a well-thought out piece of machinery for a decent price.
Also she had lovingly added a basket and bell and sticker to it. Don't laugh, these details make all the difference!

Anyhow, i sent her a txt msg that i didn't see it the other morning when i was grabbing my own bike to head to work. She was in disbelief to find it truly gone, and got super bummed out. She moped around all day hoping to spot it around, against all odds. Feeling guilty that she had never taken proper safeguards despite several warnings from different people. At any rate we knew it was a target item. i'd guessed it'd be stolen w/in 8 months if parked outside daily, but 1.5 was all it took.

My bad is that i chucked the receipt, making any attempts at reclaiming the bike nil. Also making Q's contact w/ the police pretty unhelpful. She may have some description of hte thief's face, and i suspect that the best case option if she sees him is to buy the bike back. Hopefully his ransom price isn't out of her ballpark.